LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,     N.    J. 

G-reen  Fund 


Dirision.^3.\2A5 
Section.xA...\^.    I  O 


A    CRITICAL    AND    EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY    ON    EXODUS. 


A  CRITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY 


THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS. 


Mifli   a  jflcfa  Kriinslutiou. 


JAMES  G.  MURPHY,  LL.D.,  T.C.T)., 

PROFESSOR   OF   HEBREW,    BELFAST. 
Al  THilR  OF  ••COMMK.START  ON  TIIK  BOOK  OF  c;F.NFSI«." 


EDINBURGH: 
T.    .t    T.    CLAEK,    38    GEORGE    STREET: 

LONDON  :    HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  &  CO.  ; 

ITBLIN  :    J.   KOBERTSON  &  CO.        HKI.!  AST  :    C   AITCHISON. 


MDCCCT.XVr. 


PREFACE. 


If  the  one  God  make  a  world  and  write  a  book,  it  is  to  be 
expected  that  nature  and  Scripture  will  agree.  But  their  in- 
terpreters may  differ.  It  is  notorious  that  there  has  been  a 
philosophy  that  was  only  vain  deceit — a  science,  falsely  so- 
called.  This  was  simply  a  false  interpretation  of  nature.  It 
could  not  be  presumed  that  such  would  agi'ee  with  the  Bible. 
It  is  equally  well-known  that  false  principles  of  interpretji- 
tion  have  been  applied  to  the  Scripture,  the  results  of  which 
have  also  been  at  variance  with  nature.  Admittinsr,  however, 
the  word  and  the  work  to  come  both  from  God,  men,  with  the 
narrow  and  partially  erroneo\is  philosophy  of  their  day,  have 
endeavoured  to  harmonize  them.  In  doing  so,  they  have  in 
some  instances  imposed  a  sense  upon  Scripture  which  has 
eventually  turned  out  to  be  incongioious  with  the  conclusions 
of  a  wider  and  more  exact  philosophy.  But  while  the  former 
results  of  speculative  and  scientific  inquiry  have  been  modified 
or  reversed,  it  has  been  generally  taken  foi*  granted  that  the 
old  meanings  attached  to  those  portions  of  Scripture  that 
touch  upon  physical  or  metaphysical  phenomena  remain  true 
and  incontrovertible. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  these  meanings 
flowed  from  minds  otherwise  well  cultivated,  but  at  the  same 
time  imbued  with  the  errors  of  their  day  on  physical  and 
other  questions.  Their  mistaken  preconceptions  insensibly 
guided  their  interpretation ;  and  hence   they  found  in  Scrip- 


vi  PEEFACE. 

ture,  and  fixed  upon  it,  the  prejudices  of  a  dogmatic  science. 
And  there  are  actually  men  of  critical  and  cultivated  minds, 
open  to  the  advancing  and  astonishing  disclosures  of  modern 
science,  who  reject  with  impatience,  and  pronounce  to  be  in- 
genious trifling,  any  attempt  at  an  interpretation  of  Scripture 
free  from  the  prejudices  of  the  past,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
science  of  the  present.  They  assume  that  the  interpreter  has 
already  done  all  justice  to  these  parts  of  Scripture,  and  regard 
it  as  a  settled  point  that  this  venerable  record  of  the  past  is 
and  must  have  been  out  of  harmony  with  the  present  state  of 
science. 

If  the  Scripture  was  a  book  of  merely  human  origin,  we 
mio-ht  acquiesce  in  this  conclusion.  In  that  case,  being  com- 
posed, most  of  it,  long  before  the  Christian  era,  and  all  of  it 
lono-  before  the  era  of  physical  science,  it  must  have  partaken 
of  the  errors  of  its  age.  And  the  wonder  would  be,  not  that 
it  contains  the  few  errors  on  physical  questions  which  some 
interpreters  find  in  it,  but  that  it  does  not  contain  a  multitude 
of  others  common  to  the  ages  in  which  it  was  produced.  The 
Mosaic  cosmogony,  history,  and  philology,  even  according  to 
the  common  interpretation,  solve  questions,  which  without 
their  aid  speculation  and  science  have  attempted  in  vain.  It 
need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  theology  and  ethics  of  the 
Pentateuch,  not  to  speak  of  the  New  Testament,  far  transcend 
all  the  attainments  of  unassisted  human  reason.  The  appear- 
ance of  such  a  volume  in  such  an  age  is  simply  unaccount- 
able on  the  hypothesis  of  its  human  origin. 

The  Scripture,  however,  claiming  and  proving  itself  in  so 
many  ways  to  be  of  divine  origin  and  authority,  is  clearly  as 
liable  to  be  misinterpreted  as  nature.  It  is  positively  more 
so.  Nature  comes  directly  from  the  hand  of  God,  and  shows 
no  traces  of  a  human  hand,  except  what  havoc  sin  has  wrought 
in  man.  Yet  it  has  been  long  and  grievously  misapprehended 
by  the  haste  or  pride  of  its  interpreters.  But  Scripture  comes 
from  God  through  the  minds  and  utterances  of  men.  Hence 
it  expresses  the  revelations  of  God  in  the  phraseology  of  un- 


prf:face.  vii 

tutored  or  misinformed  man.  It  presents,  therefore,  an  in- 
cidental element  of  relative  imperfection  in  the  mode  of 
expression.  How  much  more,  then,  is  it  liable  to  be  misun- 
derstood by  an  interpreter,  who  is  himself  led  astray  by  the 
errors  of  his  own  or  past  times? 

A  free  and  fair  thinker  will  feel  that  a  divine  communica- 
tion, if  such  may  be,  must  achieve  the  difficult,  and  to  man 
impossible,  task  of  conveying  a  system  of  truth  in  the  imj)er- 
fcct  vehicle  of  human  language,  without  coming  into  real 
conflict  with  the  facts  of  nature.  Now  it  is  j)lain  that  a  com- 
munication so  expressed,  though  it  be  in  fundamental  harmony 
with  nature,  may  appear  not  to  be  so  from  casual  phrases, 
which  convey  a  fact,  indeed,  plainly  enough,  but  in  terms 
which  involve  an  old  or  popular  misconception  regarding  it. 
Thus  when  we  say,  "the  sun  sets,"  the  event  intended  is  ade- 
quately expressed,  and  perfectly  understood,  though  the  terms 
fail  to  give  a  strictly  accurate  account  of  what  actually  takes 
place.  And  only  when  we  have  succeeded  in  disentangling 
the  error  unavoidably  belonging  to  the  medium  of  communi- 
cation are  we  at  liberty  to  regard  the  meaning  remaining  in 
the  words  as  the  statement  intended  by  the  sacred  record. 
Hence,  in  receiving  a  divine  revelation  couched  in  human 
words,  it  is  only  fair  that  we  discount  any  error  that  may 
incidentally  lurk  in  the  ordinary  phraseology  of  the  time. 

This  law  for  the  exposition  of  a  divine  record,  though 
evident  in  itself,  and  demanded  by  equity,  has  yet  had  to 
force  its  way  in  all  ages  to  acceptance  and  authority.  When 
Galileo,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  proclaimed  that  the  earth 
had  a  diurnal  motion  on  its  axis,  and  an  annual  motion  round 
the  sun,  he  was  condemned  for  teaching  what  was  contradic- 
tory to  the  assertions  of  the  Bible.  His  judges  were  not 
aware,  or  did  not  admit  of  the  fair  and  obvious  principle  of 
interpretation  which  has  now  received  a  partial  recognition. 
No  one  now  maintains  that  the  Scriptures  assert  that  the 
earth  stands  still,  while  the  sun  performs  a  diurnal  revolution 
in  twenty-four  hours.      Yet  there  are  men  in  this  nineteenth 


VIU  PREFACE. 

century  who  regard  with  hesitation,  if  they  do  not  turn  away 
with  undisguised  distrust  from  any  attempt  to  apply  this  or 
any  other  equally  fair  rule  of  hermeneutics  to  those  portions 
of  the  Bible  which  are  presumed  to  be  repugnant  to  the  con- 
clusions of  physical  science.  We  could  understand  this,  if  its 
divine  authority  were  to  be  abandoned.  But  with  its  claim 
to  be  given  by  inspiration  of  God  before  us,  we  submit  that 
it  is  as  well  entitled  to  an  amended  interpretation  as  nature 
itself.  Natural  science  receives  a  constant  readjustment  as 
new  facts  disclose  themselves  to  the  enlightened  observer. 
Biblical  science  has  a  still  more  pressing  claim  to  a  similar 
reconstruction,  inasmuch  as  it  has  long  suffered  from  a  defect- 
ive mode  of  elucidation,  not  based  on  a  fair  estimate  of  itself, 
but  biassed  by  a  false  view  of  nature.  The  interpreter  of 
nature  amends  his  method  under  the  force  of  accumulated 
experience.  Let  the  interpreter  of  Scripture  enjoy  the  same 
right.  Especially  let  him  be  released  from  the  bondage  which 
the  vain  philosophy  of  a  bygone  age  has  imposed  upon  him. 
Liberated  from  the  prejudices  of  the  past,  and  standing  in  the 
light  of  present  science,  let  him  at  least  make  the  attempt  to 
interpret  Scripture  as  the  word  of  God,  that  must  be  in  real 
harmony  with  the  works  of  God.  It  will  be  time  enough  to 
abandon  the  theory  of  divine  inspiration  when  right  principles 
of  hermeneutics,  freely  and  fairly  applied,  fail  to  bring  out  a 
meaning  that  will  be  in  harmony  with  the  indubitable  facts 
of  nature. 

The  same  line  of  reasoning  applies  to  moral  and  meta- 
physical questions  as  to  physical.  Let  us  fully  apprehend 
the  foundations  of  our  mental  philosophy  before  we  make  it 
the  standard  by  which  we  are  to  test  the  morals  of  Scripture, 
And  let  us  be  scrupulously  faithful  in  ascertaining  what  is  the 
precise  meaning  of  Scripture,  before  we  pronounce  it  to  be  at 
variance  with  any  first  principle  of  ethical  or  metaphysical 
truth. 

The  interpretation  of  the  Book  of  Genesis,  offered  by  the 
present  writer  to  the   public  in   1868,  was  the  issue  of  an 


PREFACE.  IX 

attempt  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  that  venerable  portion  of 
lioly  writ  according  to  cxegetical  rules,  which  reviewers  have 
admitted  to  be  just,  and  one  has  even  ])ronounced  it  to  be  a 
series  of  truisms.  Some  results  of  this  interpretation  were, 
it"  not  new,  yet  sufficiently  remarkable.  The  record  of  the 
primeval  creation  was  found  to  be  contained  in  the  first 
verse  of  Genesis.  The  state  of  at  least  a  portion  of  the 
surface  of  the  earth  antecedent  to  the  six  days  of  creative 
effort,  is  described  in  the  second  verse.  The  creation,  narrated 
in  the  remainder  of  the  first  chapter,  is  partial  in  regard  both 
to  time  and  place,  being  accomplished  in  six  literal  days,  and 
confined  in  range  to  that  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  which 
was  declared  in  the  second  verse  to  be  waste,  void,  and  dark. 
The  deluge  is  limited  to  a  still  narrower  area,  extending  only 
to  the  region  inhabited  by  man.  The  ark  was  designed  and 
constructed  to  preserve  only  such  animals  of  a  domestic  and 
harmless  kind  as  might  have  become  extinct,  because  they 
were  limited  in  range.  It  did  not,  therefore,  receive  animals 
residinfj  in  more  distant  rejiions,  or  belon^in"  to  an  earlier 
creation.  The  six  days'  creation,  moreover,  furnishes  an  in- 
stance of  a  local  centre  of  creation,  and  consequently  favours 
the  presumption  of  other  local  and  previous  centres  of  creation 
for  different  orders  of  animal  and  vegetable  life.  These  and 
other  similar  results,  are  elicited  from  the  text,  it  is  submitted, 
by  a  natural  and  unstrained  interpretation. 

It  may  be  said  that  in  both  these  cases  the  terms  of  the 
descriptions  are  universal,  and  the  interpretation  has  been  uni- 
formly so.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  there  was  a 
universality  at  first  both  in  regard  to  man  and  the  objcct.«» 
known  to  him.  And  hence  the  terms  of  the  text  agree  with 
the  original  compass  of  human  experience.  But  when  the 
terms  land,  animal,  kc,  come  to  have  an  extent  of  meaning 
beyond  what  was  known  or  contemplated  in  primeval  times,  it 
is  manifest  that  an  error  may  be  insensibly  imported  into  the 
sense  ;  because  what  ap])lied  to  these  terms  in  their  original 
extension  may  not  be  true  of  the  new  parts  of  their  extension- 


X  PREFACE. 

And  this  error  will  progressively  increase  in  amount  until  the 
land  becomes  the  terraqueous  globe,  and  the  animals  comprise 
all  the  species  existing  thereupon. 

The  present  volume  on  Exodus  is  a  second  contribution  to 
the  exposition  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  to  the  practical 
demonstration,  that  a  just  interpretation  of  the  volume  of 
inspiration  will  obviate  supposed  difficulties,  which  have  arisen 
mainly  from  misapprehension,  and  bring  out  more  strikingly 
and  uniformly  its  essential  harmony  with  science,  reason,  and 
history.  It  removes,  in  the  author's  apprehension,  any  im- 
possibilities that  may  have  seemed  to  lie  in  the  natural  events 
that  are  recorded  in  the  narrative.  This  is  a  matter  of  the 
first  importance  not  only  in  regard  to  the  credibility  of  the  his- 
tory, but  in  reference  to  the  origin  and  structure  of  the  whole 
Pentateuch.  For  while  the  historical  validity  of  the  document 
stands,  the  free  handling,  by  which  the  text  is  parcelled  out 
and  distributed  among  a  succession  of  authors,  the  earliest  of 
whom  lived  centuries  after  the  events  occurred,  loses  the  basis 
on  which  alone  it  can  be  securely  erected ;  and  the  evidence 
for  its  Mosaic  authorship  rests  upon  a  foundation  which  can- 
not be  moved. 

The  resources  for  the  vindication  of  the  historical  veracity 
of  the  narrative  in  Exodus  are  far  from  being  exhausted.  The 
elucidation  of  Egyptian  history  by  the  labours  of  Lepsius, 
Rawlinson,  Hincks,  Talbot,  and  otherS' — the  restoration  of  its 
chronology,  to  which  Dr.  Hincks  has  contributed  some  most 
interesting  and  valuable  papers — the  investigation  of  the  his- 
torical and  anthropological  traces  which  remain  of  the  migra- 
tions of  ancient  tribes — and  the  conclusions  of  a  thoroughly 
discussed  theory  of  national  and  social  economy,  will  yet 
throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  exodus  of  Israel  and  the  events 
consequent  upon  it.  The  profounder  investigations  of  ethical 
and  political  questions,  and  the  prosecution  of  the  abstruse 
but  important  and  practical  inquiry  into  the  mode  of  training 
families  and  nations  in  the  conception,  reception,  and  perpe- 
tuation of  true  ideas,  beliefs,  and  cognitions  respecting  God, 


PREFACE.  xi 

and  their  practical  relation  to  liim,  will  also  open  tlic  way  f'»r 
a  juster  coinpiehension  of  the  meaning  of  Exodus,  as  well  an 
the  other  books  of  the  Pentateuch. 

Such,  indeed,  is  the  apologetic  view  of  the  bearing  of  those 
studies  on  the  book.  But  the  real  character  of  the  books  of 
Moses,  as  the  primeval  portion  of  the  word  of  God,  precisely 
reverses  this  bearing.  The  Pentateuch  is  the  light  of  revela- 
tion shedding  its  salubrious  beams  on  those  questionin<o>  of  the 
spirit  of  man,  on  those  themes  which  have  been  darkened  and 
confused  by  the  entrance  of  sin.  And  when  men  come  to 
acknowledge  the  divine  authority,  and  penetrate  into  the  true 
meaning  of  this  second  book  of  it,  this  book  of  moral  resolv- 
ings,  and  teachings,  and  doings,  they  will  find  in  it  a  safe 
guide  to  new  and  sound  views  of  ethical,  political,  and  educa- 
tional science.  It  would  not  be  ea.sy  to  exaggerate  the  im- 
portance of  that  book  which  recounts  the  separation  of  the 
cliosen  people  of  God  from  the  world,  the  giving  of  the  moral 
law,  and  the  setting  up  of  the  tabernacle,  which  symbolises 
the  way  of  reconciliation  and  communion  with  God. 

The  method  of  exposition  pui-sued  in  this  volume,  as  well 
as  in  that  in  Genesis,  is  the  following  : — Fir.st,  the  general 
arrangement  and  division  of  topics  in  the  book  are  brought 
under  notice.  Next,  at  the  head  of  each  section,  a  few  pro- 
minent words  are  quoted  and  briefly  expounded  for  the  sake 
of  readers  acquainted  with  Hebrew,  who  are  supposed  to 
peruse  the  section  in. the  original.  Then  follows  a  translation 
of  the  section,  which  is  designed  to  be  a  mere  revisi(m  of  the 
Authorised  Version.  This  the  reader  will  compare  with  the 
■original,  or  with  the  corresponding  portion  of  his  English 
Bible.  The  commentary  then  appended  is  designed  to  explain 
the  momentous  import  of  the  historical  facts  recor<led,  to 
mark  their  bearing  on  the  highest  interests  of  man,  and  to 
unfold  the  great  principles  of  ethical  and  theological  tnitli 
which  are  stated  for  his  guidance  and  comfort.  These  arc 
obviously  the  weightiest  questions  that  can  engage  the  atten- 
tion of  man.      Certain  and  definite  answers  on  these  all-im- 


XU  PREFACE. 

portant  topics  are  to  be  found  in  the  books  of  revelation,  and 
in  no  other  quarter.  We  have,  therefore,  the  strongest  mo- 
tives to  examine  the  Scriptures,  to  make  ourselves  acquainted 
with  their  profoundly  interesting  contents,  and  to  avail  our- 
selves of  the  information  they  convey  to  escape  the  penal  con- 
sequences of  sin  and  enter  upon  the  path  of  everlasting  life. 
In  pursuing  such  investigations  as  these,  the  writer  has  not 
occupied  much  space  with  those  questions  of  literary  criticism 
which  are  now  ably  discussed  in  introductions  to  the  Bible 
and  in  Biblical  dictionaries.  He  has  refrained  in  general  from 
bewildering  the  reader  with  the  enumeration  of  a  series  of 
incongruous  opinions,  and  has  been  sparing  in  the  quotation 
of  authorities  for  every  particular  statement  made.  In  this 
way  he  has  endeavoured  to  economise  space  for  a  more  full 
discussion,  though  in  as  concise  a  form  as  possible,  of  all  that 
bears  upon  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  The  difficulties  that 
are  started  in  the  publications  of  the  day  have  received  a 
large  share  of  attention ;  and  whatever  seemed  to  be  the  best 
mode  of  obviating  their  force  has  been  uniformly  indicated  in 
an  incidental  way.  And  at  the  risk  of  some  appearance  of 
dogmatism,  it  has  been  made  a  point  in  all  important  cases 
if  possible  to  arrive  at  and  to  offer  to  the  reader  a  decided 
opinion. 

The  author  has  made  some  contributions  towards  a  formal 
and  direct  reply  to  recent  objections  to  the  Pentateuch,  But 
he  is  content  for  the  present  with  offering  to  the  reader  a 
second  instalment  of  the  positive  argument  for  the  authority 
and  historical  validity  of  that  venerable  document  in  this 
attempt  at  the  exegetical  elucidation  of  the  book  of  Exodus. 
The  right  understanding  of  the  Book  of  God  is  all  the  vindi- 
cation it  needs  with  the  earnest  reader. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IX.  EXODUS. 


THE  Book  of  Exodus  is  the  record  of  a  new  development 
in  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  This  is  the  departure  of 
the  chosen  people  out  of  Egypt.  They  went  into  that  land 
a  family  j  they  came  out  a  people.  They  entered  as  the 
honoured  and  independent  relatives  of  the  Prime  Minister  of 
State  ;  they  departed  as  the  fugitive  serfs  of  a  despotic  and 
oppressive  government.  They  took  up  their  abode  in  Goshen 
at  a  time  when  the  nations  still  retained  some  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  some  remembrance  of  His  covenant  with  man, 
and  some  sense  of  His  claim  upon  their  reverence ;  they 
marched  forth  from  the  land  of  their  sojourning  at  an  epoch 
when  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorites  was  full,  when,  whatever 
might  be  the  case  with  a  rare  individual  or  tribe,  the  nations 
had  corrupted  the  knowledge  of  God,  disregarded  His  cove- 
nant, and  wandered  into  the  devious  paths  of  will-worship. 
Apostasy  from  the  truth  on  the  loftiest  themes  of  history  had 
become  the  characteristic  of  the  nations,  when  God  brought 
forth  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt  into  the  sphere  of  conspi- 
cuous observation  the  nation  whom  he  foreknew  to  be  the 
keepers  of  his  sacred  oracles  and  ordinances,  the  accepted 
parties  to  His  holy  and  gracious  covenant,  and  the  maintain- 
ers  and  eventual  disseminators  of  His  pure  and  spiritual  wor- 
shi])  on  earth.  This  great  act  is  the  topic  of  the  Book  of 
Exodus. 

From  this  glance  at  its  contents,  it  is  manifest  that  it  is 

A 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

not  the  full  counterpart  of  Genesis.  That  venerable  docu- 
ment is  matched  in  gi^andeur  of  scope  not  even  by  the  rest  of 
the  Pentateuch,  but  only  by  the  remainder  of  the  volume  of 
revelation.  It  opens  with  a  creation,  of  which  man  forms  the 
prominent  object ;  the  Old  Testament  closes  with  the  antici- 
pation of  a  new  creation  (Is.  Ixv.  1  7),  in  which  also  man  will 
hold  the  conspicuous  place ;  and  the  New  Testament  records 
the  atoning  obedience  of  Christ,  and  the  quickening  work  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  guarantee  and  earnest  of  that  new 
creation,  the  consummation  of  which  it  again  announces  to 
the  Church  (2  Pet.  iii.  13).  Genesis  also  touches  upon  the 
history  of  the  whole  race  of  man,  and  even  after  the  call  of 
Abraham  traces  the  peaceful  intercourse  subsisting  between 
the  chosen  family  and  the  rest  of  mankind.  Exodus  marks 
the  full-o-rown  antao*onism  between  the  chosen  nation  and 
the  heathen  world,  records  the  violent  separation  between  the 
two,  and  then  confines  itself  mainly  to  the  history  of  the 
party  that  remained  in  communion  with  God.  Fits  distin- 
guishing event,  the  exodus,  is  accordingly  the  prototype  of 
that  great  event  in  the  experience  of  the  individual,  in  which 
he  comes  out  from  the  bondage  of  the  flesh  into  the  freedom 
of  the  Spirit,  as  well  as  of  those  great  occasions^  the  history 
of  the  Church  in  which  it  reasserts  its  spiritual  life  and  liberty, 
and  passes  w^ith  all  the  determination  of  new-born  principle 
from  the  wilful  service  of  sin  into  the  conscientious  obedience 
of  holiness.  This  coming  out  is  a  process  continually  going 
on  during  the  history  of  the  Church  until  all  have  come  out, 
and  the  doomed  world  is  given  over  to  everlasting  destruction.)) 
It  is  the  manner  of  Scripture  to  signalise  the  primary  event 
in  any  given  series  as  a  lesson  and  example  to  all  future 
generations.  In  Genesis  are  recorded  all  kinds  of  origins  or 
births,  and,  among  others,  the  birth  of  Isaac,  the  seed  of  pro- 
mise. In  Exodus  is  recounted  the  deliberate  action  of  the 
new-born,  in  coming  out  of  the  land  of  bondage.  The  wilder- 
ness between  this  land  and  the  land  of  promise,  the  troubles, 
temptations,  and  failings  of  such  a  state  of  life,  the  giving  of 
the  law  to  a  new-born  and  emancipated  people,  the  setting  up 
of  the  ordinances  of  a  huly  religion,  are  all  typical  events,  pre- 
fio-uring  others  of  a  like  nature,  but  of  still  grander  and 
grander    import.     They    do    not    stand    alone  on   memory's 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

tablet,  but  embody  a  principle  of  consUmt  value,  which  comes 
out  in  a  series  of  analogous  events  in  the  course  of  human 
atiairs.  They  are  standing  monuments  in  the  great  field  of 
the  past,  written  in  legible  charactere  on  the  page  of  history 
for  the  instruction  of  coming  days.  They  lodge  in  the  mind 
of  man  the  principles  which  they  exemplify,  never  afterwards 
to  be  dislodged  from  the  hereditary  wisdom  of  the  race.  His- 
tory has  been  said  to  be  philosophy  teachijig  b}'-  examples, 
and  this  is  nowhere  so  true  as  in  that  history  which  describes 
events  from  a  heavenly  point  of  view,  selects  them  with  a 
divine  intuition  of  their  exemplary  character,  and  places  them 
on  record  for  the  express  purpose  of  instilling  into  men's 
hearts  the  great  principles  of  sacred  truth. 

The  scope  of  the  Book  of  Exodus,  however,  is  not  to  be 
limited  to  the  mere  fortunes  of  the  chosen  people.  Even  if 
it  stood  alone,  its  communications  could  not  be  confined  to 
so  narrow  an  area.  But  preceded  by  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
and  forming  a  continuation  of  that  work,  it  has  an  essential 
and  important  bearing  on  the  destinies  of  the  whole  race  of 
man.  It  details  a  certain  stage  of  that  momentous  j)rocess,  by 
which  the  covenant  of  God  with  man  is  to  be  upheld,  and  its 
benefits  secured  for  a  growing  proportion  of  our  fallen  race, 
until  at  length  the  main  body  at  least  of  all  kindreds  and 
tongues  returns  to  God.  This  imparts  a  new  dignity  to  the 
recoi*4  now  before  us,  and  imposes  a  higher  significance  on 
the  characteristic  events  which  it  celebrates.  The  chosen 
nation  are  interesting  no  longer  merely  on  account  of  them- 
selves as  an  end  contemplated  by  the  Great  Designer,  but  on 
account  of  their  paramount  importance  as  a  means  of  incal- 
culable blessing  to  the  whole  family  of  man.  The  oracles  of 
God  flow  forth  in  gradual  stream  from  the  mouths  of  their 
prophets.  /The  system  of  symbolic  ordinances  shadowing  forth 
the  way  of  salvation  is  set  up  and  administered  among  them. 
The  Messiah,  who  was  revealed  in  these  oracles,  and  fore- 
shadowed by  these  ordinances,  is  to  be  born  of  this  people,  to 
make  a  propitiation  not  only  for  their  sins,  but  for  those  of 
the  whole  world,  fulfil  the  recpiirements  of  the  ancient  cove- 
nant on  behalf  of  man,  and  so  to  receive  the  heathen  for  His 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His  pos- 
session.     In  the  exodus  of  this  peculiar  people  out  of  Egypt, 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

therefore,  we  are  in  the  very  pathway  of  that  great  transac- 
tion, by  which  He  with  whom  one  day  is  as  a  thousand  years, 
and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day,  will  eventually  bring  all  the 
nations  of  man  again  into  reconciliation  with  Himself  This 
is  the  sublimest  enterprise  in  which  the  interests  of  man  can 
be  concerned./ 

This  book  is  a  regular  and  orderly  piece  of  composition.  Hence 
it  admits  of  easy  analysis  into  its  component  parts.  The  exodus 
itself  is  the  central  event  of  the  drama,  and  is  embraced  in 
six  chapters  (xiii.-xviii.)  That  which  precedes  naturally  falls 
into  two  parts  :  the  first  of  which  recounts  the  bondage  of 
Israel  in  Egypt,  with  the  rise  of  the  leader  in  this  great  move- 
ment, in  six  chapters  (i.-vi.)  ;  the  second  narrates  the  ten 
plagues  or  momentous  strokes  of  judgment,  by  which  the 
opposition  of  the  Egyptian  monarch  is  overcome,  and  the  way 
opened  for  the  exodus  of  the  liberated  people,  in  other  six 
chapters  (vii.-xii.)  The  portion  of  the  book  which  follows  the 
main  act  is  also  divided  between  two  important  topics,  the 
lawgiving  and  the  tabernacle.  The  former  occupies  six 
chapters  more  (xix.-xxiv.),  and  the  latter  extends  over  the 
remaining  sixteen  ;  of  which  seven  (xxv.-xxxi.)  contain  the 
specifications  concerning  the  tabernacle,  its  furniture  and 
officials  ;  three  (xxxii.-xxxiv.)  relate  a  wild  outbreak  of  will- 
worship  among  the  people  who  had  just  escaped  from  bondage  ; 
and  the  last  six  (xxxv.-xl.)  record  the  construction  of  the 
tabernacle  and  the  commencement  of  the  divinely  instituted 
national  worship. 

This  book  is  composed  in  the  customary  style  and  method 
of  the  sacred  writer.  It  forms  a  complete  whole  and  closes 
with  a  crownino-  event.  The  writer  has  this  end  in  view 
throughout  the  work,  and  advances  to  it  with  undeviating 
tenacity  of  purpose.  Hence  he  omits  those  collateral  topics, 
which  are  not  essential  to  the  main  thread  of  his  narrative, 
and  tend  to  disturb  the  unity  and  mar  the  effect  of  the  whole. 
These  he  will  take  up  hereafter  in  their  appropriate  con- 
nexion. 


INTRODUCTION.  6 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  arrangement  of  the  book 
as  indicated  above  : — 

/f  I.  Israel  opjiressal  in  Kgypt,  i. 

Sect.  I.  l^ond-l  II.  Moses  bom  and  bivd,  ii, 

age  iu  Egypt.  1  III.  Moses  called  and  tuinniissioned,  iii.,  iv. 

L  IV.  Moses  eutei"s  ou  his  oflice,  v.-vi. 

f      V.  The  first  three  plagues, 
Sect.    II.    Ten  j      VI.  The  second  tliree  plagues, 
Plagues.  1    VII.  The  third  three  plagues, 

L\'11I.  The  teuth  plague.     Passover, 

Sect.  III.  E.xo-  (    IX.  The  escajx;  of  Israel, 
dus.  \     X.  Joui-ney  from  Elim  to  SLuai, 

Sect.  IV.  Law-  (   XI.  The  Moral  Law, 
giving.  \  XII.  The  Civil  Law, 

o        y  T- 1  ^      (XIII.  Plan  of  the  Tabernacle,  xxv.-x,\.vi. 

,\   •    ■    t  -    K  jy    The  first  breach  of  the  Covenant,  xxxii.-xxxiv. 
I       '^  ^'  (XV.  The  Tabernacle  made  aud  set  up,  XXXV. -xJ. 


02 

Q 

o 

w 


vii. 

-viii.  H». 

viii 

2U-ix.  1 

2 

ix. 

i;;-x. 

xi., 

xii. 

xiii 

-XV. 

xvi 

-xviii. 

xix 

,xx.  ~~l 

xxi 

-xxiv. 

COMMENTAEY. 


SECTION  I.     THE  BONDAGE  IN  EGYPT. 

I.    ISRAEL  OPPRESSED  IN  EGYPT. Ex.  i. 

V.  11.  DO  tribute,  levy,  task,  work  done  by  a  serf  for  liis 
Lord.  Keil  understands  by  it  the  serf  or  socager  liiniself. 
But  Esther  x.  1  is  against  this. 

dna  Pith')m,  Uiiduj  in  Sept.,  is  identified  with  Udrou/io;  in 
Herod,  ii.  158;  or,  omitting  the  Egyptian  article,  ©oD//,  in  the 
hiter  geographers.  Brugsch  derives  it  from  'pa,  abode,  ami 
l\i7ii  or  Atum,  the  sun  after  setting. 

DP'piO  Raamses,  ' ra/j^saari  in  Sept.  It  is  rendered  "son  of 
Ra,"  the  sun,  wlio  was  worshipped  at  On  or  Heliopolis. 

V.  1 5.  nnDt^  Shiphrah,  hrhjldiiess,  heautij.  nyis  Pu'ah 
for  njns^  splendour  (Simonis). 

V.  IG.  D^^^^  i^otters  wheel,  birth-stool.  Tliis  word  occui-s 
only  twice  in  Scripture.  In  Jer.  xviii.  3  it  denotes  the  pot- 
ter's wheel.  In  the  present  passage  it  seems  to  signify  the 
receptacle  into  which  the  new-born  infant  comes  fiom  the 
womb.  Both  these  utensils  may  have  been  originally  of 
stone  (|3N).  Gen.  xxviii.  11. 

V.  21.  CJii^  Dn^  t']}]\  And  iiuidc  them  hon,ses,  gave  them 
not  only  husbands  but  childi'cn,  who  constitute  faniiliea    The 


8  ISRAEL  OPPRESSED  IN  EGYPT. 

pronoun  DH  is  masculine.  But  the  plural  masculine  is  occa- 
sionally applied  to  the  female.   (See  Gen.  xxxi.  9). 

V.  22.  "ix^  a  river,  in  Memphitic  iaro,  in  Sahidic  iero,  a 
term  generally  applied  to  the  Nile. 

And  these  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  who  came  into  Miz- 
raim ;  every  man  and  his  household  came  with  Jacob.  2  Reuben, 
Simon,  Levi  and  Judah,  3  Issakar,  Zebulun,  and  Benjamin,  4  Dan 
and  Naphtali,  Gad  and  Asher.  5  And  all  the  souls  that  came  out  of 
the  thigh  of  Jacob  were  seventy  souls  :  and  Joseph  was  already  in 
Mizraim.  6  And  Joseph  died,  and  all  his  brethren  and  all  that  gene- 
ration. 7  And  the  sons  of  Israel  were  fruitful,  and  increased  and 
multiplied,  and  waxed  exceedingly  mighty ;  and  the  land  was  filled 
with  them.  *[[  1. 

8  Then  arose  a  new  king  over  Mizraim,  who  knew  not  Joseph. 

9  And  he  said  unto  his  people,  Behold,  the  people  of  the  sons  of 
Israel  are  more  and  mightier  than  we.  10  Come,  let  us  deal  wisely 
with  them,  lest  they  multiply,  and  it  come  to  pass,  that  a  war  falleth 
out,  and  they  also  join  with  those  that  hate  us,  and  fight  against  us, 
and  get  up  out  of  the  land.  11  And  they  set  over  them  task- 
masters to  afflict  them  with  their  burdens  :  and  they  built-treasure- 
cities  for  Pharaoh,  Pithom,  and  Eaamses.  12  And  as  they  afflicted 
them,  so  they  multiplied,  and  spread  :  and  they  were  vexed  because 
of  the  sons  of  Israel.  13  And  Mizraim  made  the  sons  of  Israel  serve 
with  rigour.  14  And  they  embittered  their  life  with  hard  service,  in 
clay,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  service  in  the  field ;  with  aU  their  ser- 
vice which  they  laid  on  them  with  rigour. 

15  And  the  king  of  Mizraim  said  to  the  Hebrew  mid  wives,  of 
Avhom  the  name  of  the  one  was  Shiphrah  and  the  name  of  the  other 
Puah.  1 6.  And  he  said.  When  ye  deliver  the  Hebrew  women  and 
look  upon  the  stool,  if  it  be  a  son,  then  ye  shall  kill  him,  and  if  it  be 
a  daughter,  tlien  she  shall  live.  17  And  the  midwives  feared  God, 
and  did  not  as  the  king  of  Mizraim  spake  unto  them,  but  saved  the  men- 
children  alive.  18  And  the  king  of  Mizraim  called  the  midwives, 
and  said  unto  them.  Why  have  ye  done  this  thing,  and  saved  the 
men-children  alive  ?  19  And  the  midwives  said  unto  Pharoh,  Because 
the  Hebrew  women  are  not  like  the  Mizrite  women ;  for  they  are 
lively  ;  and  have  brought  forth  ere  the  midwife  comes  in  unto  them. 
20  And  God  dealt  well  with  the  midwives :  and  the  people  multiplied 
and  waxed  very  mighty.  21  And  it  came  to  pass,  because  the  mid- 
wives  feared  God,  that  he  made  them  houses.  22.  And  Pharoli 
charged  all  his  people,  saying,  Every  son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast 
into  the  river,  and  every  daughter  ye  shall  save  alive.  IT  2. 


EXODUS  I.  1  -7.  9 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  Siicrcd  writer  to  note  the  ^e.at 
moments  and  turning  points  in  the  history  of  God's  dealings 
witli  man,  and  to  pass  lightly  over  the  current  of  events  that 
flow  naturally  from  the  tendency  thus  given.  The  entrance 
into  Egypt  was  one  of  those  leading  n)ovenients  :  the  departure 
from  it  is  another.  The  intervening  period  of  210  years  is 
summed  up  in  the  chapter  before  us,  if  w'e  except  certfiin 
events  relative  to  Jacob  and  Joseph,  which  wind  up  the  set- 
tlement of  the  chosen  family  in  Egy})t,  and  a  few  circum- 
stances concerning  Moses  which  are  introductory  to  the  na- 
tional migration.  The  j)rcsent  chapter  recounts  the  extra- 
ordinary increase  of  the  family  of  Israel,  and  the  ineflectual 
measures  taken  by  the  king  of  Egypt  to  check  their  growth. 

Ver.  1-7.  The  increase  of  the  chosen  seed.  Here  the 
historian,  after  the  manner  of  Hebrew  comj)osition,  goes  back 
to  the  descent  of  Israel  into  Egypt  as  the  starting  point  of 
the  new  train  of  events  about  to  be  related.  And  these  are 
the  names.  The  recapitulation  of  the  heads  of  houses  in 
Jacob's  family  prepares  the  way  for  the  vast  augmentation 
about  to  be  recorded.  Of  Israel.  This  word  is  here  well 
chosen.  The  significance  of  the  name,  and  the  occasion  of 
its  application,  still  lived  in  the  memory  of  the  patriarch's 
posterity.  The  outward  privileges  of  the  prince  that  had 
power  with  God  and  with  maii  descended  to  them,  and  the 
inward  character  that  corresponded  with  such  a  parentage  was 
no  doubt  to  be  found  in  many  of  them.  And  now  that  the 
estrangement  of  the  nations  from  the  true  God  was  become 
general  and  obvious,  it  was  the  more  necessary  that  the 
chosen  family  should  be  reminded  by  this  sacred  name  of 
the  high  destiny  to  which  they  were  called.  Every  man  and 
his  house.  They  were  already  distributed  into  twelve  houses, 
when  they  went  down  into  Egypt.  The  sons  of  Leah  are 
placed  first,  Benjamin  son  of  Rachel  next,  and  afterwards  the 
four  sons  of  the  handmaids.  Seventy  souls.  Jacob  himself 
is  included  among  the  seventy  souls,  the  natural  head  being 
essential  to  the  unity  and  integrity  of  the  family.  The 
Sept.  here  has  seventy-five,  (see  on  Gen.  xlvi.  27).  Joseph 
is  now  mentioned  apart  from  the  others,  because  he  had  been 
in  the  country  before  them.  v.  6.  And  all  that  generation. 
As   some  of  those    who    descended  with    Jacob   were   mere 


1  0  ISRAEL  OPPRESSED  IN  EGYPT. 

infants,  more  than  half  of  the  210  years  would  have  elapsed 
before  their  decease.  Tliis  would  bring  us  within  twenty 
years  of  the  birth  of  Moses.  v.  7.  The  rapid  growth  of 
Israel  into  a  nation  is  the  fact  of  this  paragraph.  It  is  ex- 
pressed as  usual  in  Hebrew,  by  a  climax  of  vei'bs  ;  were 
fruitful  is  taken  from  the  vegetable  world,  in  which  the 
increase  varies  from  a  small  multiple  to  several  hundreds  fold ; 
increased  (spawned,  swarmed),  is  borrowed  from  the  finny 
tribes,  in  which  the  rate  of  increase  rises  to  many  myriads  ; 
onuUiijlied  is  a  general  word  referring  to  number;  and  tvaxed 
exceedingly  mighty  is  a  similar  phrase,  alluding  to  the  strength 
which  numbers  confer,  composed  of  a  verb  and  an  adverb 
repeated,  and  therefore  well  adapted  to  complete  the  climax. 
Then  follows  the  result,  tlie  land  %vas  filled  with  them.  It  is 
quite  evident  that  this  statement  implies  a  rate  of  increase 
amazingly  higher  than  that  which  was  usual  in  those  days, 
and  still  higher  than  any  that  can  be  found  in  the  present 
crowded  state  of  the  world.  The  circumstances  were  favour- 
able for  such  an  increase.  They  had  scope  and  verge  in  a 
wide  and  thinly  peopled  countrj^ ;  and  they  were  placed  in 
the  best  of  the  land  (Gen.  xlvii.  11).  These  advantages 
alone,  however,  could  not  account  for  their  accelerated  growth ; 
for  the  Eg3^ptians  were  not  much  less  favoured  in  these 
respects.  But  the  blessing  of  Jehovah  the  God  of  promise 
was  now  realised  to  them.  After  a  long  delay  the  word 
came  to  Israel  the  third  patriarch,  "  I  am  God  Almighty  ;  be 
fruitful  and  multiply  ;  a  nation  and  a  congregation  of  nations 
shall  be  of  thee,  and  kings  shall  come  ovit  of  thy  loins," 
(Gen.  XXXV.  11).  We  see  also  the  effect  of  the  migration 
into  Egypt.  In  Kenaan  the  inevitable  tendency  was  to  lose 
all  family  distinction,  and  merge  into  the  nations  of  that 
country.  Only  in  a  border  land,  on  a  territory  specially 
ceded  to  them  by  a  people  who  had  a  national  antipathy  to 
their  pursuits,  could  a  select  nation  have  grown  up  without 
coalescing  in  blood,  in  language  and  in  institutions  with  the 
surrounding  tribes.  Hence  in  Goshen  the  chosen  family 
gi-ows  in  210  years  into  the  chosen  nation,  destined  to  wit- 
ness among  the  nations  for  the  unity,  spirituality  and 
mercy  of  the  Creator  of  all. 


EXODUS  I.  8.  11 

V.  S-22.  Tlie  unwarrantable  measures  taken  l)y  the  kin«^ 
of  Egypt  to  check  the  growth  of  tlie  people.  These  were 
three ;  to  impose  slave-labour,  to  enjoin  the  mid-wives  to 
slay  the  male  children  as  soon  as  born,  and  to  command  liis 
people  to  throw  the  male  infants  into  the  river.  A  new  king 
over  Mizraim.  Joseph  was  39  years  old  when  his  kindred 
settled  in  Egypt,  lived  to  the  age  of  110,  and  therefore 
died  71  years  after  that  settlement.  We  may  suppose 
that  all  the  generation  that  came  down  into  Egypt  died 
1 1 0  years  after  the  same  event.  In  the  interval  between 
this  and  the  birth  of  Moses,  arose  this  "  new  king  over 
Mizraim."  The  chronology  of  the  early  period  of  Egyptian 
history  has  not  yet  been  definitely  settled.  Tt  is  probable, 
however,  that  at  the  time  in  question  there  were  two  or 
more  contemporary  sovereigns  reigning  in  different  parts  of 
what  we  now  call  Egypt ;  one  at  Thebes,  the  capital  of 
Pathros,  the  land  of  the  Pathrusim,  (Gen.  x.  14),  perhaps  of 
the  l7th  dynasty  of  Manetho ;  another  at  Memphis  the 
capital  of  Mizraim  proper,  possibly  of  the  0th  dynasty  of 
the  same  author :  and  not  impossibly  a  third  at  Xois  in  the 
western  part  of  the  Delta.  Other  petty  sovereignties,  that 
may  have  existed,  need  not  be  considered.  The  Hyksos  or 
shepherdkings  not  being  designated  by  the  seat  of  empire,  may 
have  been  identical  with  the  sovereigns  of  Xois  or  Memphis, 
or  distinct,  and  even  superior  to  both.  In  the  last  case  the 
seat  of  this  sovereignty  may  have  been  at  On  or  Bubastis. 
The  dynasty  with  which  the  Israelites  now  came  into  contact 
was  either  this  last  supposed  one,  or  that  of  Memphis  which  was 
convenient  to  On,  and  to  the  land  of  Goshen.  Who  knew  not 
Joseph.  Tliis  new  king  may  have  been  the  founder  of  the 
7th  dynasty,  or  a  contemporary  sovereign  of  the  1  Gth. 
At  all  events,  he  came  into  power  at  least  40  yeai-s  after  the 
death  of  Joseph,  and  about  100  years  after  he  cea.sed  to  take 
an  active  part  in  state  affairs.  This  allows  a  sufficient  time 
for  Joseph  and  his  services  to  be  forgotten.  "Not  to  know" 
is  in  scripture  phrase  to  disregard.  This  new  sovereign  was 
not  actuated  by  any  sense  of  the  benefits  which  that  distin- 
guished Israelite  had  conferred  upon  his  country,  v.  9.  Tlie 
people  of  the  sons  of  Israel.  They  are  now  recognised  as 
no  longer  a  family,  but  a  community.     More  and   mijhtkr 


12  ISRAEL  OPPRESSED  IN  EGYPT. 

than  we.  This  marks  out  the  speaker  as  the  sovereign  of  a 
comparatively  small  principality,  hampered,  perhaps,  on  the 
north-west  by  one  power,  and  on  the  south  by  another. 
Such  a  prince  would  feel  himself  embarrassed  by  the  unpar- 
alleled growth  of  this  foreign  people  within  his  borders,  and 
might  naturally  express  himself  in  the  terms  here  employed, 
though  the  Israelites  were  only  approaching  to  his  own  sub- 
jects in  numbers  and  strength  (v.  10).  Join  with  those  that 
hate  us.  An  intimation  is  here  given  that  this  king  of  Miz- 
raim  was  by  no  means  free  from  the  dangers  of  rivalry  and 
ambition,  and  was  therefore  far  from  being  the  sole  monarch 
in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  Those  that  hate  him  and  his  sub- 
jects are  the  other  sovereigns  in  Xois,  Thebes,  and  perhaps 
other  parts  of  EgjqDt.  He  might  be  exposed  also  to  attacks 
from  the  east,  even  though  he  were  himself  an  invader  from 
that  quarter.  And  get  up  out  of  the  land.  Though  he  dis- 
regarded the  political  services  rendered  by  Joseph,  yet  he  is 
acquainted  with  the  origin  of  the  race,  their  claim  to  be  free, 
and  their  expectation  at  some  time  to  depart  from  Egypt.  He 
found  them  valuable,  whether  as  subjects  or  as  serfs,  and  he  does 
not  wish  to  part  with  them.  This  incidental  notice  proves 
that  the  Israelites  were  still  mindful  of  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  and  cherished  the  hope  of  one  day  entering  into  pos- 
session of  the  promised  land.  We  are  elsewhere  informed 
that  Ezer  and  Elead,  sons  of  Ephraim,  were  slain  in  a  raid  by 
the  men  of  Gath,  and  that  his  grand-daughter  Sherah  built 
Beth-horon,  the  nether  and  the  upper,  and  Uzzen-sherah  (1 
Chron.  vii.  21,  24).  Whence  it  appears  that  in  the  days  of 
their  freedom,  before  this  new  king  arose,  they  not  only 
looked  forward  to  a  settlement  in  Palestine,  but  actually 
asserted  a  position  in  the  country,  at  least  for  a  time.  This 
naturally  connects  itself  with  the  share  which  Jacob  had 
given  to  Joseph  above  his  brethren  (Gen.  xlviii.  22).  It  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  district  acquired  by  Jacob  was  actually 
claimed  and  taken  possession  of  by  Ephraim  for  whom  it  was 
designed,  and  perhaps  enlarged  by  conquest  in  that  early 
period  of  the  residence  of  Israel  in  Egypt.  Whether  the  new 
king  of  Mizraim  came  from  the  region  of  Ephraim's  early  con- 
quests history  has  not  enabled  us  to  say. 

Ver,  1 1 . — Taskmasters  were  superintendents  of  forced  la- 


EXODUS  I.  15-21.  13 

bour.  This  was  customary  among  all  ancient  governments, 
and  especially  among  the  P]gyptian.s,  whose  jiyramids  and  other 
gTeat  works  were  mostly  the  product  of  slave-labour.  T/va- 
sure  cities  were  magazines  for  the  storage  of  provisions  and 
other  commodities  of  war  and  police.  Plfhom  and  Rdamnes 
were  situated  on  the  borders  of  Egypt  and  Arabia.  The  for- 
mer is  called  by  Herodotus  an  Arabian  town,  and  said  to  be 
near  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  a  little  above  Buba.stis,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  ancient  canal  in  the  valley  of  the 
Natron  Lakes.  The  latter  was  in  the  same  valley  fartlier  to 
the  east,  near  the  site  of  Heroopolis,  with  which  many  identify 
it.  Lepsius  finds  it  in  the  ruins  of  Abu  Kcshcb  and  Heroo- 
polis in  Mukfar.  Osborne  endeavours  to  show  that  Pithom  is 
Damietta,  and  Rameses  Migdol,  which  he  places  at  the  head 
of  the  gulf  of  Suez.  These  magazine  cities  on  the  border  were 
well  situated  for  troops  making  inroads  into  the  Eastern 
world  from  Egypt.  The  Sept.  here  adds  On  ;  but  this  was 
in  existence  in  the  time  of  Joseph  (Gen.  xli.  45),  and  the 
reading  is  not  otherwise  supported. 

v.  12-14.  So  tlteyniultiplied.  The  policy  of  the  Egyptian 
king  was  ineffectual.  The  purpose  of  God  was  not  set  aside, 
but  only  promoted  by  these  measures.  They  were  vexed. 
These  Egyptians  were  probably  hard  pressed  on  their  .southern 
frontier  by  a  superior  power.  They  had  also  a  rooted  aversion 
to  the  Israelites.  With  rigour.  By  compulsion  they  exacted 
hard  service  in  clay,  in  brick,  and  in  field  labour.  Agricul- 
ture was  attended  with  considerable  labour  in  the  higher 
grounds  of  Egypt  on  account  of  the  necessity  of  watering 
them  by  artificial  means.  Bricks  were  the  usual  building 
material  in  Egypt,  The  monuments  shew  that  foreigners  were 
employed  in  these  servile  works  under  native  overseers. 

V.  15-21.  Pharoh  next  applied  to  the  Hebrew  midNvives  to 
check  the  population  by  murdering  the  msUe  infants.  They 
are  called  Hebrew,  a  generic  term  applying  to  all  the  de- 
scendants of  Heber  (see  on  Gen.  xiv.  13.)  Two  midwives 
only  are  mentioned  by  name.  About  90  years  before  the 
Exodus, and  therefore  1 0  before  the  birth  of  Moses,  the  Israelites 
were  about  30,000  and  at  the  time  of  his  birth  about  50,000  ; 
as  they  doubled  in  about  1  5  years,  and  the  starting  number 
including   wives  was  about    120.      From   this  we  learn   to 


14!  ISRAEL  OPPRESSED  IN  EGYPT. 

moderate  our  estimate  of  the  extent  of  that  kingdom  with 
•which  the  IsraeUtes  were  in  contact.  All  Egypt  from  the 
Mediterranean  to  the  first  Cataract,  if  united  under  one  govei-n- 
ment,  could  not  be  afraid  of  30  or  50  thousand  men,  women, 
and  children.  A  petty  state,  having  its  centre  at  Heliopolis 
or  Bubastis,  and  overshadowed  by  one  or  two  southern  powers, 
might  feel  some  apprehension  of  a  small  people  that  was 
doubling  itself  in  fifteen  years.  Of  30  or  50  thousand,  much 
less  than  a  third  would  be  married  women,  and  it  may  be 
that  of  these  not  more  than  a  tenth  would  need  or  seek  the 
aid  of  a  pirofessional  midwife  ;  and  if  on  an  average  one  birth 
in  each  family  took  place  every  two  years,  the  two  midwives 
would  not  have  to  attend  more  than  one  or  two  births  every 
day,  even  if  personal  attendance  were  always  given.  But  we 
may  presume  that  they  had  a  large  number  of  deputies  or 
assistants  actino-  under  tlieir  direction  to  meet  all  the  de- 
mands  on  their  services,  v.  1 6.  The  stool.  Some  have  sup- 
posed this  to  mean  the  mouth  of  the  womb  ;  but  it  seems 
more  likely  that  it  was  the  basin  or  vessel  in  which  the  new 
born  infant  was  received  from  the  womb.  v.  17.  God,  in  the 
original  the  God,  the  true  everlasting  almighty  God,  who  w^as 
infinitely  higher  than  Pharoh.  v.  ]  9.  For  they  are  lively,  o\ 
a  vigorous  frame.  This  was  quite  true  in  point  of  fact. 
Among  the  Bedawin  to  this  day  and  others,  whose  bodies  are 
well  developed  by  pastoral  occupations  and  loose  clothing, 
child-bearing  is  comparatively  easy.  The  accompanying  state- 
ment was  also  correct  in  the  majority  of  cases,  if  not  in  all ; 
especially  if  the  mothers  hearing  the  order  of  Pharoh  did  not 
admit  the  midwife,  and  she  did  not  intrude,  if  possible,  until 
the  child  was  born.  Of  the  exceptions  the  midwives,  evad- 
ing Pharoh's  question,  say  nothing,  v.  21.  A7id  he  made 
them  houses,  gave  them  not  only  husbands  but  also  children, 
which  were  regarded  as  a  boon  and  an  honour  by  wives. 
It  is  conceivable  that  these  women  were  unmarried,  or  if 
married,  childless,  and  therefore  at  leisure  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  aid  of  those  who  were  bearing  children.  The 
word  iJiem  is  by  some  referred  to  the  people  in  the  previous 
verse.  But  this  construction  is  harsh,  and  the  verse  in  this 
sense  adds  nothing  to  what  has  been  said  before.  Here  as  usual 
God  requites  hke  with  like.     The  midwives  save  alive  the 


EXODUS  II.  15 

offspring  of  the  nation :  God  deals  well  with  them  in  giving 
them  offspring. 

V.  22.  Being  baftled  by  the  midwives,  Pharoh,  Jis  a  last 
resort,  commands  all  his  people  to  cast  the  male  infants  into 
the  Nile.  This  bloody  mandate  appears  to  have  been  given 
very  shortly  before  the  birth  of  Moses.  These  measures  of 
the  king  indeed  may  have  followed  one  another  in  rapid 
succession  ;  and  the  magazine  cities,  though  commenced  before, 
may  not  have  been  completed  till  long  after  the  issue  of  the 
last  of  them.  The  period  of  serfdom  and  oppression  will  iu 
this  case  last  not  nmch  longer  than  eighty  or  ninety  years, 
namely  from  a  few  years  before  the  birth  of  Moses  to  the 
exodus. 


ir.    MOSES  BORN  AND  BROUGHT  UP. Ex.  ii. 

3.  N03  the  'papyrus  of  the  Nile,  r.  ahsorh,  drink  up. 
Hence  called  hihula  papyrus  (Lucan  iv.  1  3G). 

5.  X^l  icash  the  body  or  any  part  of  it,  D33  ^ca^h  clothes 
by  treading  with  the  feet. 

10.  n::'D  Mosheh.  The  word,  if  taken  to  be  Hebrew,  sig- 
nifies drawing.  By  Josephus  its  Greek  form  Mu'dfrr,;  is  re- 
solved into  the  Coptic  /mSj  water,  and  nsfig  saved  from.  Mouu 
water,  and  sa  drag,  may  be  the  Coptic  elements  of  the  name. 
The  corresponding  Hebrew  roots  are  probably  contained  in  D'O 
water  and  NK'3  lift ;  though  the  Hebrew  language  does  not 
deal  freely  in  compounds.  In  explaining  the  origin  of  the 
name,  however,  the  author  employs  a  verb  which  contains 
the  letters  that  are  in  the  Hebrew  form  of  the  word.  He 
either  translates  the  name  given  by  the  princess,  as  Melanc- 
thon  from  Schwarzcrdt,  or  she  spoke  a  dialect  of  Hebrew. 
The  latter  might  be  the  ca.se,  if  she  was  of  the  fiimily  of  the 
Hyksos,  who  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  Pha^nicia  or 
Arabia. 

1 8.  ^^Jn  Re'uel,  fi-iend  of  God. 

21.  n"iE>*  Zipporah,  bird,  span^ow. 

22.  Dbna  Gereshom,  stranger,  exile,  r.  tna  drive  out,  or 
compounded  of  "•?.  stranger  and  DC'  =  ^^  there.     The  latter  is 


]  6  MOSES  BORN  AND  BROUGHT  UP. 

not  necessary  to  warrant  the  expression  of  the  text ;  as  the 
native  speakers  of  the  language  had  a  much  freer  and  wider 
sense  of  the  relation  among  roots  than  many  of  our  philo- 
logers.  Paronomasia  plays  a  part  in  their  etymology.  They 
felt  a  relation  between  f?  and  HJi^  Gen.  iv.  1,  ??3  and  ''?3 
Gen.  xi.  9,  i?.  and  ti'!'?.  The  rules  of  philology,  instead  of  cor- 
recting, should  be  gathered  from  these  among  other  pheno- 
mena. 

Then  went  a  man  of  the  house  of  Levi,  and  took  a  daughter  of 
Levi.  2  And  the  woman  conceived  and  bare  a  son ;  and  she  saw 
that  he  was  goodly,  and  hid  him  three  months,  3  And  she  could 
not  longer  hide  him,  and  she  took  for  him  an  ark  of  rushes,  and 
daubed  it  with  asphalt  and  with  pitch  :  and  she  put  therein  the  child, 
and  laid  it  in  the  flags  by  the  river's  brink.  4  And  his  sister  stood 
afar  off,  to  wit  what  would  be  done  to  him. 

5  And  the  daughter  of  Pharoh  went  down  to  bathe  in  the  river, 
and  her  maidens  walked  along  by  the  river's  side  :  and  she  saw  the 
ark  among  the  flags,  and  sent  her  handmaid,  and  she  fetched  it. 

6  And  she  opened  it  and  saw  the  child,  and  lo  the  babe  wept :  and 
she  had  pity  on  him  and  said.  This  is  one  of  the  Hebrew's  children. 

7  Then  said  his  sister  to  Pharoh's  daughter,  Shall  I  go  and  call  to  thee 
a  nurse  of  the  Hebrew  women,  and  she  shall  nurse  the  child  for  theel 

8  And  Pharoh's  daughter  said  to  her,  Go.  And  the  maid,  went 
and  called  the  child's  mother.  9  And  Pharoh's  daughter  said  unto 
her,  Take  this  child  away  and  nurse  him  for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee 
thy  wages.  And  the  woman  took  the  child  and  nursed  him. 
10  And  the  child  grew,  and  she  brought  him  to  Pharoh's  daughter, 
and  he  became  her  son,  and  she  called  his  name  Moses,  and  said,  Be- 
cause I  drew  him  out  of  the  water. 

II  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  Moses  grew  up  and 
came  out  unto  his  brethren,  and  looked  on  their  burdens  ;  and  he  saw 
a  Mizrite  smiting  a  Hebrew,  one  of  his  brethren.  1 2  And  he  turned 
this  way  and  that  way,  and  saw  that  there  was  no  man  :  and  he  smote 
the  Mizrite  and  hid  him  in  the  sand.  13  And  he  came  out  the 
second  day,  and,  lo,  two  Hebrews  were  striving :  and  he  said  unto 
the  wrong-doer,  Why  smitest  thou  thy  neighbour?  14  And  he  said, 
Who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a  judge  over  us  1  Intendest  thou  to  slay 
me,  as  thou  slewest  the  Mizrite  1  And  Moses  feared  and  said.  Surely 
the  thing  is  known.  15  And  Pharoh  heard  this  thing,  and  sought  to 
slay  Moses  :  and  Moses  fled  from  the  face  of  Pharoh,  and  dwelt  in  the 
land  of  Midian ;  and  he  sat  by  the  well. 


EXODUS  II.  17 

16  Now  the  priest  of  Midian  had  seven  dau^diters  :  and  they  camo 
and  drew  and  fdled  the  troughs  to  water  their  lather's  fl(jek.  1 7  Then 
came  the  shepherds  and  drove  tlieni  away  :  and  Moses  stood  up  and 
saved  them,  and  watered  their  flock.  18  And  they  went  to  Reuel 
their  father  :  and  he  said,  AVhy  are  ye  come  so  soon  to-day  ?  19  Antl 
they  said,  A  Mizrite  delivered  us  out  of  the  hand  of  tlie  sheplierds  : 
and  he  also  drew  enough  for  us  and  watered  the  flock.  20  And  he 
said  unto  his  daughters,  And  where  is  he  1  Why  is  it  that  ye  have 
left  the  man  ?  Call  him  and  let  him  eat  bread.  21  And  Moses  was 
content  to  dwell  with  the  man  :  and  he  gave  Zipporah  his  daughter 
to  Moses.  22  And  she  bare  a  son,  and  he  called  his  name  (Jershom  ; 
for  lie  said,  I  have  been  a  stranger  in  a  foreign  land.  H  3. 

23  And  it  came  to  pass  many  days  after,  that  the  king  of  Mizraim 
died  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  sighed  by  rea.son  of  the  service  ami  cried : 
and  their  cry  went  up  to  Clod  by  reason  of  the  service.  24  And  God 
heard  their  groaning,  and  (Jod  remembered  His  covenant  witli  Abra- 
ham, with  Isaac,  and  with  Jacob.  25  And  God  saw  the  sons  of 
Israi'l,  and  God  had  regard  unto  them.  §  1. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  is  recorded  the  extremity  of  the 
chosen  seed.  This  hard  pressure  of  affliction  was  not  un- 
needed.  In  the  abundance  and  prosperity  of  Goshen  they 
had  well-nigh  forgotten  the  absohite  and  exclusive  claim  of 
God  on  their  homage  and  obedience.  Nothing  but  the  strong 
hand  of  oppression  could  bring  them  to  a  sense  of  their  de- 
pendence and  their  duty.  But  they  were  a  chosen  race. 
Much  is  implied  in  this.  The  Most  High  does  not  allow  them, 
as  he  might  otherwise  have  done,  to  merge  into  tlie  supersti- 
tion and  apostasy  of  the  surrounding  nations.  He  lias,  more- 
over, a  purpose  to  serve  by  them,  an  end  ulterior  to  their  own 
spiritual  benefit.  He  intends,  through  them,  to  perpetuate 
the  knowledge  of  God,  to  bring  in  the  Redeemer  into  the 
world,  to  effect  a  redemption  that  will  be  sufficient  for  all  the 
nations  of  mankind,  and  finally  to  bring  all  the  world  into 
reconciliation  with  himself  and  with  themselves.  He  will  not 
be  thwarted  in  this  sublime  and  benign  purpose.  He  hjis, 
therefore,  laid  the  heavy  hand  of  chastisement  on  this  people 
to  bring  them  to  repentance.  He  will  not,  however,  leave 
them  to  perish  by  the  murderous  devices  of  Pharoh.  He  will 
gradually  prepare  them  to  shake  off  the  fetters  of  JKgypt,  and 

a 


18  MOSES  BORN. 

take  their  departure  for  the  land  of  promise.  And  his  provi- 
dence is  at  work  in  another  direction.  Immediately  after  the 
issue  of  the  bloody  edict  for  the  extermination  of  the  people, 
the  deliverer  is  born,  who  is  to  head  the  movement  of  national 
emancipation,  and  is  preserved  from  destruction  by  the  indirect 
influence  of  the  hostile  monarch  himself. 

In  this  chapter,  accordingly,  we  have  the  parentage,  birth, 
preservation,  education,  and  exile  of  Moses,  the  coming  deli- 
verer of  God's  people.  The  historian  reverts  to  a  point  of 
time  anterior  perhaps  to  any  of  the  despotic  measures  of  the 
sovereign,  and  enters  upon  another  line  of  events. 

v.  1— fc. — The  parentage  and  birth  of  Moses.  A  man  of  the 
house  of  Levi,  Amram  (Ex.  vi,  20).  A  daughter  of  Levi, 
Jokebed.  Hence  it  appears  that  Moses  was  a  Hebrew  of  the 
Hebrews.  Levi  was  44  years  old  when  he  came  down  to 
Egypt.  We  may  suppose  that  Jokebed  was  born  to  him  when 
he  was  100  j^ears  of  age,  and  therefore  QQ  years  after  the 
immigration.  Amram  ma}'  have  been  born  about  the  same 
time  with  his  aunt,  or  even  somewhat  earlier.  For  his  father 
Kohatli  (Ex.  vi.  18)  may  have  been  20  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Egypt,  and  consequently  86  when  Jokebed  was  born. 
About  fifty  years  after,  we  may  suppose,  the  nephew  and  aunt 
were  married.  There  was  not  yet  any  law  prohibiting  the 
marriage  of  such  relatives.  A  year  after  their  marriage,  the 
daughter  mentioned  in  the  narrative  may  have  been  born,  and 
14)  years  after  the  same  date  Moses,  who  was  80  years  old  at 
the  exodus.  These  numbers  (66  +  50-|-14-|-S0)  make  up 
210,  the  number  of  years  during  which  the  Israelites  so- 
journed in  Egypt. 

V.  2. — Goodly,  perfect,  as  if  it  had  come  directly  from  the 
hands  of  God  without  contracting  any  outward  stain  from  its 
parents.  Such  is  the  force  of  Stephen's  explanatory  phrase, 
a<STi7og  Tip  Qiw,  beautiful  before  God.  And  hid  hiim  three 
Tiionths.  Maternal  affection,  the  beauty  of  the  child,  and  hope 
in  God,  combined  to  produce  this  attempt  at  his  preservation. 
V.  3.  An  arh  of  rushes.  This  reminds  us  of  the  ark  of 
the  flood  (Gen.  vi.  1 4).  The  rush  was  the  papyrus,  growing 
to  the  height  of  ten  feet,  and  formerly  abounding  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nile.  The  root  was  used  for  fuel,  the  stem  for  making 
boats,  and  the  bark  or  rind  for  makiug  sails,  shoes,  garments. 


EXODUS  ir.  1-4.  19 

ami  paper.  The  papyrus  rolls  are  found  in  the  nmnimy-cafics 
to  this  day,  and  may  be  unrolled  and  rejid.  Aspludt  and 
j)(fch — tlie  former  to  fill  up  the  interstiees  and  make  all 
smooth,  the  latter  to  make  the  little  vessel  vvater-ti«^ht.  l^at 
therein  the  child.  This  is  a  mother's  last  effort  to  save  the 
doomed  babe.  It  may  appear  feeble  and  hopeless;  but  it  was 
done  in  faith,  and  it  proved  successful,  v.  -i.  Ills  slder  is  set 
to  watch  the  result. 

V.  5-10.  The  rescue  of  Moses  from  a  watery  grave.      The 
king's  daughter  with  her  attendants  comes  forth  to   bathe  in 
the  Nile,   the  waters  of  which  were   considered  sacred  and 
salutary.      In  a  primitive  state  of  society  the  females  of  the 
East  enjoyed  a  greater  degree  of  liberty  than   in  after  times, 
when  they  began   to   be   guarded  with  jealous   cai-e   in   the 
seclusion  of  the  harem,  and  concealed  on  a  journey  from  the 
common  gaze  by  the  long  and  thick  veil  of  the  East,      With 
all  a  female's  fond  affection  she  has  pity  on  the  weeping  babe. 
Scripture  is  very  choice  in  picking  out  the  circumstances  that 
give  effect  to  the  scene.     2'his  is  one  of  the  Hebreu'ii  ckUdren. 
She  is  aware  of  the  royal  edict,  and  comprehends  the  whole 
affair   at  a  glance.     This   tiny  vessel  is  the  last  effort  of  a 
mother's  affection  to  cast  on  Providence  the  care  of  her  babe. 
V.  7.  His  sistef,  certainly,  whether  prompted  or  not,  is  equal 
to   her  task.     She  appears  at  the  proper  time,  and  puts  the 
fitting  question,      v.  8.   Pharoh's  daughter  is  too  glad  to   be 
relieved  of  her  perplexity  by  saying,  Go.     The  maid,  the  well- 
grown  and   marriageable   virgin,  as  the  term  implies.      This 
makes  it  probable   that  she  was  now  about  thirteen  years  of 
age  at  least,  as  we  have  supposed,     v.  1  0.  And  she  called  his 
name  Mowa.     His  jjarents,  most  probably,  had  given  him  a 
name  during  the  time  he  was  with  tliem  before  he  became  the 
adopted  son  of  Pharoh's  daughter.      But  in  ancient  times  the 
same  individual  often  received  different  names  from  successive 
memorable  incidents   in    his    life   (Gen.  iii.  20,  x.  "25,  xvii.  5, 
XXV.  30.)      The   adopter   had  a  right  to  give  a  name  to  the 
ado])ted,    and   this   name  has   prevailed  over  that  which   ur.\y 
have   been   given   by    his   parents.      Josephus  calls    Pharoh's 
daughter  Thermuthis  ;  Eusebius  calls  her  Merrhis :   but  these 
detcrniinations    are    f)unded    on    chronological   combinations 
which  have  not  yet  been  established. 


20  MOSES  PRESERVED.  | 

It  is  quite  evident  that  Pharoh's  court  was  contiguous  to 
the  region  occupied  by  the  Israelites.  This  favours  the  notion 
of  a  small  kingdom  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Delta,  to  the 
extent  of  which  a  tribe  of  thirty  or  fifty  thousand  would  bear 
some  notable  relation.  It  is  plain,  too,  that  the  royal  residence 
was  for  the  time  beino-  not  far  from  the  Nile.  This  will  agree 
very  well  with  Bubastis  being  at  least  the  occasional  abode  of 
the  royal  family. 

It  is  probable  that  the  exterminating  edict  was  withdrawn 
at  or  soon  after  the  rescue  of  Moses.  The  caprice  and  passion 
of  a  despot  might  hastily  issue  such  a  decree.  But  after- 
thoughts would  soon  suggest  the  folly  of  cutting  oflf  this  use- 
ful horde  of  serfs  in  a  single  generation.  The  debasement  of 
the  feelings  by  forced  labour — which  would  render  them  more 
serviceable  as  slaves,  and  less  formidable  as  rebels — is  a  much 
more  satisfactory  measure  to  an  arbitrary  government.  More- 
over, the  natural  feelings  of  humanity  revolt  against  the  indis- 
criminate and  continued  murder  of  male  infants.  The  mea- 
sure would  be  unpopular  with  his  subjects,  and  with  the 
members  of  his  own  famil}^,  as  soon  as  Moses  appeared  there, 
and  would,  therefore,  soon  be  abandoned.  Accordingly,  we 
hear  no  more  of  it. 

V.  11-15.  The  flight  of  Moses.  In  those  days.  This  phrase 
here  covers  a  space  of  forty  years  or  more.  Moses  grew  up, 
arrived  at  maturity.  He  came  out  unto  his  hreihren.  It  is 
evident  that  the  tie  between  Moses  and  his  parents  had  never 
been  broken.  The  charms  of  a  court  life  for  nearly  forty 
years  had  not  closed  his  ears  against  the  cries  of  his  afliicted 
people.  His  heart  felt  that  the  sufferers  were  his  brethren. 
He  saiv  a  Mizrite  smiting  a  Hebrew — one  of  the  taskmasters 
correcting  a  serf  under  his  charge,  or,  more  probably,  a  private 
individual,  in  the  mere  arrogance  of  his  political  superiority, 
maltreating  one  of  the  inferior  race  whom  he  has  chanced  to 
meet.  Moses,  whose  spirit  had  not  been  broken  by  the  bond- 
age common  to  the  rest  of  his  race,  instantly  taking  the  side 
of  the  oppressed,  slays  the  Egyptian,  and  buries  him  in  the 
sand.  He  may  not  have  intended  to  deal  a  fatal  blow,  or  he 
may  not  have  been  able  to  avoid  it  in  self-defence ;  but  no 
such  explanation  is  offered  in  the  text.  We  may  not  wish  to 
stand  over  this  deed  in  all  its  length  and  breadth.      But  we 


EXODUS  II.   1-k  21 

must  not  denounce  it,  as  we  might  if  it  were  doiu'  in  our  day. 
In  a  time  and  place  where  the  wild  Avill  and  tlic  high  hand 
have  the  rule,  he  that  lifts  the  hand  not  for  selfish  ends,  but 
for  the  defence  of  the  weak,  is  not  to  be  hastily  condemned. 
He  has  much  of  the  spirit  of  the  magistrate,  where  the  law 
and  its  administrator  are  wanting,  v.  1  3.  The  next  day  he 
sees  two  Ilebreica  striving.  He  expostulates  with  the  wrong- 
doer, who  rudely  repels  his  interference  with  the  alarming 
question,  "  Intendest  thou  to  slay  me,  as  thou  slewest  the 
Mizrite  ?"  These  were  the  noticeable  acts  which  decided 
Moses'  future  course.  They  tell  much  of  what  was  working 
within  his  breast.  For  the  last  thirty  years  we  may  imagine 
him  now  and  then  stealing  out  of  the  loyal  precincts  to  look 
on  the  burdens  of  his  people.  Oft  with  a  soi'e  heart  may  the 
young  patriot  have  returned  to  the  palace,  contrasted  the  free- 
dom, luxury,  and  mental  culture  around  him  with  the  de;;ra- 
dation  of  that  race  which  he  knew  was  chosen  of  God  to  hold 
the  foremost  rank  and  achieve  the  noblest  ends  for  humanity. 
The  hope  of  their  deliverance  was  cherished.  The  wish  to 
take  part  in  it  was  gathering  strength  with  his  years.  He 
was  at  length  precipitated  into  action  by  the  scenes  before 
him.  But  the  rude  cpiestion,  "  Who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a 
judge  over  us  ? "  prompted,  perhaps,  by  his  courtly  guise  and 
long  isolation  from  his  people,  quenched  his  ardent  aspirations. 
Having  broken  with  Egypt,  and  been  rejected  by  his  kindred, 
he  had  no  course  for  the  present  but  exile.  (See  Acts  vii. 
21-29,  Heb.  xi.  24-26). 

Moses  was  now  forty  years  of  age  (Acts  vii.  22,  23).  This 
period  of  physical  and  intellectual  growth  he  had  spent  at  the 
court  of  Pharoh,  and  therefore  had  received  the  highest  edu- 
cation the  country  could  afford.  The  annual  overflow  of  the 
Nile  imparting  a  constant  fertility  to  the  soil  rendered  Egypt 
pre-eminently  an  agricultural  country.  The  necessity  of  mark- 
ing the  time  of  its  rise  led  to  the  study  of  astronomy  and 
chronology.  To  determine  the  height  to  which  it  rose  in 
successive  years,  and  the  boundaries  of  landed  property  which 
were  liable  to  be  obliterated  by  its  watei-s,  they  were  con- 
strained to  turn  their  attention  to  geometry.  To  the  success- 
ful prosecution  of  mathematical  science,  and  for  the  recording 
of  the  observations  needful  for  its  practical  application,  the  art 


22  MOSES  MARRIED. 

of  writing  was  essential  ;  and  the  papyrus  reed  afforded  the 
ready  material  for  such  records.  In  these  circumstances,  the 
heavenly  bodies,  the  Nile,  and  the  animals  of  their  country, 
became  absorbing  objects  of  attention,  and  eventually  of  wor- 
ship. Music  was  also  diligently  cultivated  in  Egypt.  Moses 
must  have  been  familiar  with  the  language,  literature,  and 
science  of  Egypt,  as  well  as  with  the  corruptions  of  its  theo- 
logy. This  was  the  one  side  of  his  character.  On  the  other 
side  he  was  closely  allied  by  intercourse  and  feeling  with  his 
kindred,  and  therefore  intimately  acquainted  with  the  monu- 
ments of  sacred  history  which  were  handed  down  to  them, 
the  elements  of  a  pure  theology,  natural  and  revealed,  which 
had  been  preserved  by  them,  their  present  sufferings,  and  their 
future  destiny.  We  cannot  conceive  a  providential  training 
more  admirably  adapted  for  the  part  he  was  to  perform  as  the 
deliverer,  legislator,  and  historian  of  the  people  of  God. 

V.  15.  Midian  was  the  son  of  Abraham,  and  half-brother 
of  Isaac.  The  Midianites  were,  therefore,  the  kinsfolk  of 
Moses.  A  great  part  of  Arabia,  indeed,  was  occupied  with 
descendants  of  Heber,  the  ancestor  of  Abraham  and  the  Israel- 
ites. Thither  it  was  natural  for  Moses  to  flee.  The  land  of 
Midian  lay  partly  south-west  of  Moab  and  partly  on  the  coast 
of  the  Aelanitic  gulf,  to  the  south-western  extremity  of  which 
the  tribe  seems  to  have  penetrated.  And  he  sat  by  the  luell, 
the  well-known  place  of  refreshment  and  rest  for  the  traveller, 
and  of  common  resort  for  the  natives  of  the  country. 

v.  16-22.  The  settlement  and  marriage  of  Moses  in  Midian. 
The  i^Hesi  of  Midian.  The  ancient  order  of  elders  held  a 
place  in  the  polity  of  Midian  (Num.  xxii.  4).  The  supieme 
government  seems  to  have  been  a  commonwealth  or  confede- 
racy, as  there  were  five  kings  of  Midian  in  the  time  of  the 
entrance  of  Israel  into  the  promised  land  (Num.  xxxi.  8),  and 
two  princes  and  two  kings  ai'e  mentioned  in  the  days  of  Gideon 
(Judg.  viii.  3,  5).  As  in  primitive  times  the  sacred  and  civil 
functions  were  generally  united  in  one  person,  the  priest  of 
Midian  was  probably  at  least  an  elder  in  the  state ;  but  there 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he  was  not  a  priest  in  the  strict 
sense  of  the  term,  as  the  civil  functionaries  of  Midian,  we  find, 
were  designated  by  several  other  terms.  We  have  already 
met  with  the  early  custom  of  daughters  tending  flocks  (Gen. 


EXODUS  II.  11-15.  23 

xxix.  G).  They  often  needed  defenders,  as  the  weak  are  often 
wronged  by  the  strong.  A  Mizrlte.  Moses  is  so  regarded,  as 
lie  probably  wore  the  garb  and  spoke  the  langnage  of  Kgypt, 
and  may  have  stated  that  he  was  a  fugitive  fioni  that  country. 
Why  is  it  that  ye  Iiave  left  the  man  ?  A  feeling  of  innate 
modesty,  or  a  proper  sense  of  their  dependence  as  children,  may 
have  prevented  the  invitation  proceeding  immediately  from 
themselves.  He  gave  Zlpporah,  his  daughter,  to  Moses.  She 
was  a  descendant  of  Abraham,  and  so  of  the  kindred  of  Moses. 
The  connection  was  therefore  suitable. 

V.  23-25.  The  sacred  writer  now  resumes  the  general 
thread  of  the  narrative,  and  describes  with  a  few  touciies  the 
crying  oppression  under  which  the  people  of  Israel  had  now 
long  laboured.  Many  days  after.  The  whole  of  the  events 
following  occurred  during  an  interval  of  forty  years,  the 
period  of  Moses'  sojourn  in  Midian.  The  Icing  of  Mizraim 
died.  This  may  have  taken  place  shortly  after  Moses  left 
the  country  ;  but  it  did  not  abate  the  sufferings  of  tiic  people. 
His  successor  pursued  the  same  cruel  policy.  Their  hard 
service  commenced  some  time  before  the  birth  of  Moses,  and 
had  now  therefore  lasted  more  than  eighty  3^ear8.  Sighed  and 
cried.  The  haughty  spirit  which  denounced  the  defender  and 
adviser  as  a  self-constituted  ruler  and  judge  was  now  sub- 
dued. The  wail  of  deep  affliction  ascended  from  broken  hearts 
to  heaven,  io  the  living  God.  God  heard  their  groaning.  He 
hears  all  groanings.  But  he  also  remembered  his  covenant 
with  their  fethers  (Gen.  xvii.  2,  21,  xlvi.  2-4).  He  not  only 
heard,  but  saw  the  sons  of  Israel  under  the  oppressor.  He 
not  only  obsei-ved,  as  it  were,  with  the  outward  senses,  but 
knew  with  the  inward  mind,  and  acknowledged  them  to  be 
the  seed  of  the  covenant.  Such  is  the  manner  in  which  the 
narrator  lays  emphasis  on  the  earnest  attention  with  which 
the  Lord  regards  the  affliction  of  his  people. 


24  MOSES  CALLED. 

III.    MOSES  CALLED  AND  COMMISSIONED. EX.  III.,  IV. 

CHAP.  Til. MOSES  CALLED. 

1,  iin^  Jithro,  profit,  pre-eminence,  r.  be  over  and  above. 

3"in  Choreb,  dry  place,  r.  drain. 
14.  n^ri^l  "^^^  '^c.-^-  Ehjeh, /o7'  /  am.  We  approach  with 
reverence  to  the  discussion  of  this  remarkable  sentence.  It 
has  been  rendered  in  two  different  ways  :  1 .  I  AM,  because  I 
am  ;  and  2.  /  am  that  which  I  am.  The  latter,  we  presume, 
is  the  meaning  of  the  English  version,  I  am  that  I  AM. 
There  are  three  decisive  objections  to  this  rendering :  1.  It 
takes  the  whole  sentence  to  be  the  name,  like  Shear-jashub 
(a  remnant  shall  return),  Maher-shalal-hash-baz  (haste  to  the 
spoil,  speed  to  the  prey),  the  names  of  Isaiah's  children.  But 
the  first  word,  Ehjeh,  is  the  whole  name,  as  is  evident  from 
the  remainder  of  the  verse  ;  "  thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the 
sons  of  Israel,  Ehjeh  hath  sent  me  unto  you."  2.  It  lays  the 
emphasis  on  that  which  is  not  expressed  in  the  name.  It 
therefore  conveys  no  information :  for  it  states  in  words  that 
God  is  that  which  He  is  ;  but  does  not  tell  what  that  is.  It 
is  not  distinctive  of  God  ;  for  the  saying,  I  am  that  I  am, 
may  be  applied  to  any  being  whatever ;  and  is,  moreover,  a 
mere  triviality.  It  is,  if  anything,  a  mere  intimation  of  the 
inscrutable  mystery  of  the  divine  nature  ;  yet  it  does  not 
even  affii-m  that  He  is  the  Inconceivable,  and  therefore  Inef- 
fable. And  even  if  it  did,  this  bare  thought  is  not  fitted  to 
implant  confidence  or  induce  persuasion  in  the  minds  of  the 
Israelites.  And  3,  the  sentence  thus  rendered  does  not  ex- 
press the  idea  conveyed  in  the  word  Ehjeh,  which  is  substi- 
tuted for  it  in  the  latter  part  of  the  verse.  The  former  is  at 
best  purely  negative  ;  the  latter  is  purely  positive.  Hence 
the  two  forms  of  the  name  would  be  inconsistent  in  meaning. 

The  latter  rendering  being  on  these  grounds  untenable,  the 
former  must  be  regarded  as  correct.  It  agrees  with  the 
Vulg.  J^go  sum,  qui  sum,  and  the  Sept.  'Eyw  h/m  6  uv,  in 
making  part  of  the  sentence  the  name,  though  it  difiers  from 
them  in  taking  the  first  word,   not  the  latter  two,   as  the 


EXODUS  III.  2o 


name.  It  affords  a  good  sense.  It  finds  in  the  answer  of 
God  the  new  name  and  the  reason  of  it,  whether  we  translate 
"•V.'^  who,  as,  for,  because  or  since.  I  AM  (is  my  name),  for  I 
am.  It  gives  the  same  name  in  the  two  parts  of  the  verse, 
and  the  same  sense  in  each.  It  also  agrees  with  the  struc- 
ture of  the  Hebrew  and  with  the  Masorctic  pointing,  in 
which  there  is  a  pause  after  the  first  word,  thus:  >^^,>}^. 
It  only  remains  to  ascertain  what  is  the  meaning  of  Ehjeh. 

1.  The  verb  ^\'^  refers  not  to  the  abstract  existence  of  the 
schoolmen,  but  to  the  concrete  being  of  the  unsophisticated 
Hebrew  mind,  that  is,  being  as  active  and  obvious  to  the 
senses.  (See  on  Gen.  i.  2).  This,  when  applied  to  the  Eter- 
nal, means,  therefore,  not  absolute  beginning  or  e-ssential 
change  of  being,  but  that  eventual  modification  of  being, 
which  is  implied  in  engaging  in  a  new  course  of  action  mani- 
festinjr  the  atrent  to  have  being.  To  be,  in  a  word,  is  to 
act  in  such  a  way  as  to  manifest  one's  being  to  a  competent 
observer.  2.  n;<nx  is  that  form  of  the  verb  which  denotes 
the  incipient  stage  of  an  action  or  event.  It  means,  there- 
fore, /  go  to  he,  I  am  on  the  ])oint  of  proving  myself  to  be  by 
a  noticeable  action.  In  regard  to  the  chosen  seed  I  have 
heretofore  mainly  promised  ;  I  am  now  about  to  appear  in 
performance  of  my  promise.  3.  The  verb  is  in  the  first  per- 
son, because  the  speaker  is  naming  himself  with  all  the 
emphasis  of  personal  identification.  It  is  obvious  that  this 
was  a  strikingly  significant  and  appropriate  name  for  Moses 
to  bear  to  the  people,  as  it  announced  a  present  God,  come 
down  to  fulfil  His  covenant  and  perform  His  promise  to  the 
atilicted  descendants  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob. 

And  Moses  was  keeping  the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law,  tho 
priest  of  Midian  :  and  he  led  the  flock  beliind  the  wilderness,  and 
came  to  the  mountain  of  God,  to  Horeb.  2  And  the  angel  of  tho 
Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  tho 
hush :  and  he  looked,  and,  lo,  the  bush  burned  with  tire,  and  the  bush 
was  not  consumed.  3  And  ISfoses  said,  Let  me  now  turn  asiile  and 
sec  this  great  sight,  why  the  bush  does  not  burn.  4  And  the  I>ouD 
saw  that  he  turned  aside  to  see ;  and  God  called  unto  him  out  of  tho 
midst  of  the  bush,  and  said,  Moses,  Closes.  And  he  said,  Hero  am  I. 
5  xVnd  ho  said,  Draw  not  nigh  hither :  put  off  thy  shoes  from  tliy 
feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground. 


26  MOSES  CALLED. 

6  And  he  said.  I  am  the  God  of  thy  father,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.  And  Moses  hid  his  face, 
for  he  Avas  afraid  to  look  upon  God.  7  And  the  Lord  said,  I  have 
surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my  people  who  are  in  Mizraim,  and  have 
heard  their  cry  by  reason  of  their  exactors ;  for  I  know  their  sorrows. 
8  And  I  came  down  to  deliver  them  out  of  the  hand  of  Mizraim,  and 
to  bring  them  up  out  of  that  land  unto  a  good  and  large  land,  unto  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  ;  unto  the  place  of  the  Kenaanite, 
and  the  Hittite,  and  the  Amorite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the  Hivite, 
and  the  Jebusite.  9  And  now,  behold,  the  cry  of  the  sons  of  Israel 
is  come  unto  me :  and  I  have  also  seen  the  oppression  wherewith  Miz- 
raim oppresseth  them.  10  And  now  come  and  I  will  send  thee  unto 
Pharoh  :  and  bring  forth  my  people  the  sons  of  Israel  out  of  Miz- 
raim. 

1 1  And  Moses  said  unto  God,  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go  unto 
Pharoh  ;  and  that  I  should  bring  fprth  the  sons  of  Israel  out  of  Miz- 
raim ?  12  And  He  said.  For  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  this  shall  be 
unto  thee  the  token  that  I  have  sent  thee :  when  thou  hast  brought 
forth  the  people  out  of  Mizraim  ye  shall  serve  God  upon  this 
mountain. 

13  And  Moses  said  unto  God,  Lo,  I  shall  go  to  the  sons  of  Israel 
and  say  unto  them.  The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent  me  unto  you  ; 
and  they  shall  say  to  me.  What  is  his  name,  what  shall  I  say  unto 
them?  14  And  God  said  unto  Moses,  I  am,  for  I  am.  And  he  said. 
Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  sons  of  Israel,  I  am  hath  sent  me  unto 
you. 

1 5  And  God  said  again  unto  Moses,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the 
sons  of  Israel,  The  Lord,  the  God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent  me  unto  you  :  this 
is  my  name  for  ever,  and  this  is  my  memorial  unto  all  generations. 
16  Go  and  gather  the  elders  of  Israel  and  say  unto  them,  The  Lord, 
the  God  of  your  fathers  hath  appeared  to  me,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  saying,  I  have  surely  visited  you  and  seen  that  which 
is  done  to  you  in  Mizraim.  17  And  I  said,  I  will  bring  you  up  out 
of  the  affliction  of  Mizraim  unto  the  land  of  the  Kenaanite,  and  the 
Hittite,  and  the  Amorite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  Hivite,  and  the  Jebu- 
site ;  unto  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  18  And  they  shall 
hearken  to  thy  voice  ;  and  thou  shalt  go,  thou  and  the  elders  of  Israel, 
unto  the  king  of  Mizraim,  and  ye  shall  say  iinto  him,  The  Lord,  the 
God  of  the  Hebrews,  hath  met  with  us ;  and  now  let  us  go,  we  pray, 
three  days'  journey  into  the  wilderness,  and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  our 
God.     19  And  I  know  that  the  king  of  Mizraim  will  not  let  you  go, 


EXODUS  III. 


27 


but  l>y  a  miglity  hrtn<l.  20  And  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  and  sinito 
IMizraim  with  all  my  wonders,  which  I  will  do  in  the  midst  thi-rctif  : 
and  after  that  ho  will  let  you  go.  21  And  I  will  give  this  people  hivour 
in  the  eyes  of  Mizraim  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that,  when  yo  go, 
yo  shall  not  go  empty.  22  And  every  woman  shall  ask  of  her  neigh- 
hour,  and  of  her  that  sojourneth  in  her  house,  jcswols  of  silver,  and 
jewels  of  gold,  and  garments  :  and  ye  shall  put  them  on  your  suns  and 
on  your  daughters,  and  ye  shall  spoil  Mizraim. 

Slowly  and  constantly  for  the  last  80  years  the  oppression 
of  Israel  has  been  tirowin^f  to  a  head,  and  now  the  Lord  him- 
self  appears  on  tlie  scene.  He  has  not  indeed  been  all  that 
time  an  idle  ohserver  of  their  miseries.  In  the  silence  and 
secrecy  of  his  providence  the  deliverer  has  l)een  {^'rowing  up, 
and  is  ripe  for  his  task  at  the  very  hour  <jf  need.  The  Lord 
DOW  comes  to  call  him  to  his  work. 

The  chronology  of  the  interesting  events  about  to  be  recorded 
is  not  minutely  laid  down.  To  give  definiteness,  however, 
to  our  conceptions  of  the  course  of  things,  it  is  desirable  to  fix 
approximately  the  shortest  period  in  which  they  might  have 
occun-ed.  The  earliest  day  for  the  full  moon  on  the  loth  of 
Nisan,  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  was  the  '2'ld  of 
March.  It  is  possible  for  the  events  between  the  vision  at 
Horeb  and  the  first  passover  to  have  taken  place  with  some 
degree  of  probability  in  at  the  least  SO  days.  This  number 
we  obtain  by  allowing  for  the  journey  from  Horeb  to  Midiau 
and  thence  to  Egypt  13  days,  for  the  first  interviews  ^^  ith 
the  peo])le  and  with  Pharoh  7  days,  for  eight  plagues  at  seven 
days  each,  50  days,  and  for  the  plague  of  darkness  4  days. 
The  following  table  will  make  the  arrangement  plain  : — 


Horeb  to  Egy])t,  till  Jan.    1  3 


First  interview, 

Plague  of  blood, 

Frogs, 

Lice, 

The  fly, 


Feb. 


20 
27 
3 
10 
17 


Murrain, 

till 

Feb.   21 

Boils, 

March      3 

Hail, 

...       10 

Locusts, 

...       17 

Darkness 

...       21 

The  particulars  of  this  presumptive  arrangement  will  be 
noticed  as  we  proceed.  Some  have  protracted  the  interval  to 
nearly  ten  mouths,  in    order  to  bring  the  first  plague  to  the 


28  MOSES  CALLED. 

end  of  June,  when  the  Nile  begins  to  rise  and  assume  a  red 
and  turbid  appearance.  But  the  first  plague  is  of  a  nature 
entirely  different  from  the  periodical  change  of  colour  at  the 
swelling  of  the  Nile  :  and  moreover  it  is  highly  improbable 
that  the  ten  plagues  were  spread  over  a  period  of  nine  months. 
V.  1-5.  The  Lord  appears  to  Moses.  Jethro,  the  pre-emin- 
ent. We  have  again  and  again  to  notice  instances  of  the  same 
individual  having  several  names.  He  who  was  the  eminent 
in  one  sense  was  in  another  the  friend  of  God  (ii.  1  8).  The 
names  are  quite  consistent.  Behind  the  wilderness.  Jethro's 
dwelling  was  doubtless  east  of  Horeb,  probably  on  the  shore 
of  the  gulf  of  Akabah  ;  but  we  cannot  define  it  more  closely. 
A  wilderness  lay  between  it  and  the  springs  and  green 
valleys  intersecting  the  range  of  Horeb,  which  was  therefore 
behind  the  wilderness,  because  it  was  both  on  the  other  side 
from  Jethro's  home,  and  to  the  west  of  the  intervening  region. 
The  tnovuntain  of  God.  This  range  of  hills  earned  this  name, 
if  not  from  some  previous  manifestation  of  God,  yet  from  the 
signal  displays  of  his  presence  and  power  which  are  about  to 
be  narrated,  v.  2,  3.  The  angel  of  the  Lord.  See  on  Gen. 
xvi.  7.  In  a  flame  of  fire.  The  primary  effect  of  the  flame 
of  fire  is  to  consume  ;  the  secondary,  to  purify.  When  trans- 
ferred to  spiritual  things,  that  which  is  fuel  to  the  fire  is 
moral  evil  (xxix.  1 4),  and  that  which  remains  after  its  work 
is  done  is  the  pure,  the  holy  (Num.  xxxi.  23).  Fire,  however, 
does  not  make  pure  but  merely  leaves  the  pure  untouched. 
The  Lord  has  often  appeared  in  fire  (xix.  1 8,  xxiv.  1 7  ;  Lev. 
ix.  2  4).  The  hush.  This  was  a  species  of  thorn.  The  haw- 
thorn, according  to  Shaw  and  Pococke,  abounds  in  the  region 
of  Horeb.  Was  not  consuvied.  The  fii'e  was  supernatural 
and  did  not  affect  the  vegetative  life  of  the  bush.  This  it  was 
that  arrested  the  attention  of  Moses.  It  w^as  truly  a  "  great 
sight,"  an  unusual  and  notable  phenomenon  standing  out  from 
the  ordinary  course  of  nature.  The  mode  of  the  divine 
appearance  is  noi,  without  design.  It  has  a  significance  fitting 
the  occasion.  The  bush  that  lives  unscathed  by  the  lambent 
flame  that  winds  round  all  its  leaves  and  branches,  is  an 
emblem  of  that  which  is  pure  and  holy,  and,  therefore,  of  the 
true  church  of  God  in  the  furnace  of  afiliction.  The  lowliness 
of  the  shrub  comports  well  with  the  seeming  feebleness  and 


EXODUS  III.  1-10,  29 

insignificance  of  the  people  of  God.  Tlic  flame  of  fire  corre- 
sponds with  the  fiery  trial  through  wliich  they  have  had  to 
pass,  that  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  which  had  grown  up  in  Egyjit, 
}night  be  consumed,  and  faith  and  its  kindred  virtues  be  loft 
behind  in  all  their  vigour  and  beauty. 

V.   4,  5.   The  Lord  saiv  ....   God  called.      It  would  I >e 
the  affectation  of  criticism  to  investigate  in  every  case  the 
ground  for  the  distinctive  use  of  these  names.      Yet  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  writer  used  them  with  a  clear  consciousness 
of  their  meaning.       In  mentioning   that   the   "  Lord   saw " 
Moses  turning  aside  to  see,  he  regarded  him,  we  must  suppose, 
as  the  Great  Being  who  has  manifested  liiinself  and  is  ])re.sent 
in    the  work  of  creation  ;  and   in  adding  that   "  God  called  " 
unto  him,  he  had   before  his  mind  the  supernatural  invisible 
sphere  out  of  which  the  Eternal  Omnipotent  uttered  his  voice, 
Moses,  Moses,  as  in  Gen.  xxii.  11.      This  is  the  })ersonal  call 
with  which  the  commission  of  Moses  begins.     Draw  not  nigh. 
Do  not  intrude  with  daring  heedlessness  into  the  sacred  pre- 
sence of  the  divine  majesty.     Put  of  thy  shoes.     The  custom 
of  putting  off  the  shoes  before  entering  an  a})artment,  lest  they 
should  defile  the   floor,  passed   in   the  East    into  a  mark  of 
respect  and  then  of  reverence.      Hence  it  becomes  a  habitual 
outward  sign  of  an  inward  feeling  of  regard  for  the  place  and 
presence  of  a  superior,  or  of  the  Supreme. 

V.  G-10.  This  passage  closes  with  the  commission  to  Mo.ses. 
After  the  premonitoiy  sentence  comes  the  introduction.  lam 
the  God  of  thy  father.  "  Thy  father"  is  here  used  in  a  generic 
sense  to  denote  any  ancestor  from  his  immediate  father  u}). 
The  nations  of  the  earth  had  now  almost  universally  forsaken 
the  God  of  their  first  father,  the  knowledge  of  whom  had  been 
clearly  handed  down  to  them  by  Noah,  and  betaken  them- 
selves to  other  gods,  whom  their  fathers  knew  not,  and  who 
were  no  gods.  Moses  is  here  reminded  of  his  holy  ancestry, 
and  apprised  that  he  who  now  addresses  him  is  the  Gieat 
Being  who  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  created  man  after  his 
own  image.  But  more  particularly  he  is  also  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  Avho  entered  into  a  special  cove- 
nant of  salvation  with  the  fathers  of  Israel,  by  means  of  which 
the  primeval  covenant  with  man  may  be  upheld,  and  all  the 
Gentiles  reconciled  to  God.     Hid  his  face.     The  unexpected 


30  MOSES  CALLED. 

utterance  of  his  name,  the  caution  against  too  near  an  approach, 
the  announcement  of  the  divine  presence  awakened  a  solemn 
awe  in  the  mind  of  Moses,  which  discovered  itself  in  hiding 
his  face,  lest  he  should  be  guilty  of  any  profane  gazing  upon 
the  apparition  of  the  Holy  One  (Gen.  xvi.  1 3). 

V.  7-10.  After  the   introduction  we  have   the  commission. 
The   preamble  recounts  the  cause  which  moved  the  Lord  to 
the  present  interposition.      /  have  surely  seen.     I  have  been 
deeply  concerned  to  observe  the  affliction  of  my  people.      For 
I  know  their  sorroiu.     The  for  here  is  explanatory.      I  have 
not  been  inattentive  to  them,  I  have  been  cognisant  of  all  that 
was  taking  place,  and  therefore  I  have  seen  and  heard  every- 
thing.     /  came  down   (Gen.  xi.  5).  God  is   personally  inte- 
rested and  active  in  his  people's  causeTl,    A  good  and   large 
land,  not  inferior  to  Goshen  in  point  of  fertility,  and  affording 
scope  for  a  growing  population.     A   land  floiuing  with  milk 
and  honey,  a  proverbial  description  of  a  choice  land  abounding 
in   the    grasses   and  flowering  plants   from  which  milk  and 
honey  come.      The  place  of  the  Kenaanite.     The  Kenaanite 
and  his  derivative  tribes  originally  amounted  to  twelve  (Gen. 
X.  15-18).      In  the  time  of  Abraham  ten  tribes  occupied  the 
land  of  promise,  of  which  only  five  are  known  to  be  descend- 
ants of  Kenaan   (Gen.  xv^  19-21).      Of  the  six  here  enume- 
rated,  history  traces  five  to  Kenaan.      Of  the  former  list  the 
Girgashite  has  now  retired  into  obscurity,  and  the  Hivite  has 
recovered  a   prominent   position.      Of  those  not  traceable  to 
Kenaan   only  the  Perizzite  is  mentioned.     The  others  were 
probably  beyond  the  boundary  at  present  contemplated. 

V.  9,  10.  And  noiu,  behold,  the  cry  of  the  so7is  of  Israel. 
It  is  noticeable  that  their  oppression  had  lasted  for  eighty  years. 
But  now  at  length  their  cry  indicated  that  affliction  had  done 
its  work.  In  the  anguish  of  their  hearts  they  turned  from 
man  to  God.  They  longed  to  be  free  from  the  bondage  of 
Egypt,  and  they  now  saw  no  hope  of  escape  but  in  God. 
Their  cry  goes  up  to  heaven,  and  God  appears  on  earth  for 
their  deliverance.  I  will  send  thee  unto.  Fliaroh.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  vision  now  unfolds  itself  to  the  mind  of  Moses. 

V.  11,  12.  Moses  puts  in  many  pleas  to  be  excused  from 
this  grave  task.  The  Lord  patiently  and  encouragingly  hears 
all  these  scruples  of  his  cleature's  mind,  gives  a  satisfactory 


EXODUS  III.  11-12.  31 

explanation  and  applies  a  coujplete  remedy  to  every  difficult}', 
until  there  is  nothing  in  the  mind  of  Moso.s  hut  an  \nn-ea.son- 
ahle  shrinking  from  an  arduous  and  honourable  task.  Even 
then  he  provides  a  full  relief  for  the  tiembling  heart  in  the 
eloquence  and  company  of  his  brother  Aaron.  Thus  gradually 
and  tenderly  he  prepares  the  mind  of  his  servant  for  accpiies- 
cing  in,  and  then  heartily  devoting  himself  to,  the  high  office 
to  Avhich  he  is  called. 

cThe  first  plea  is  his  personal  unworthiness.  Who  am  I  ? 
He  remembered  the  grandeur  of  the  coint  and  the  haucrhti- 
ness  of  the  monarch.  He  was  aware  that  the  ])re.sent  .sove- 
reign was  a  stranger  to  hiin.  He  called  to  mind  the  rude 
reception  he  had  met  from  one  of  his  own  kinsmen,  when  he 
formerly  interfered  in  their  behalf.  All  the  difficulties  of  the 
enterprise  crowded  on  his  mind,  and  he  felt  himself  inadequate 
to  its  achievement.  ^  For  I  will  he  with  thee.  The  Lord  is 
not  moved  from  his  pm-posc  by  the  objection  of  Moses.  He 
obviates  it  by  an  undeniable  argument.  I  will  be  with  thee. 
The  power  of  God  with  us  certainly  surmounts  all  difficulties] 
This  promise  will  hereafter  be  embodied  in  a  name,  Immanukl 
— God  with  us.  Here  it  is  framed  in  a  sentence  inq)orting 
the  active  presence  of  the  Almighty  with  his  chosen  servant. 
This  has  been  the  source  of  the  Church's  life,  stirngth,  and 
hope  in  all  ages.  Tliis  shall  he  the  token.  To  find  himself 
and  the  rest  of  Israel  serving  God  on  this  mountain  will  here- 
after be  to  him  a  proof  of  his  divine  commission,  and  the 
assurance  of  this  ffict,  which  will  undoubtedly  follow  the  pro- 
mise now  given,  is  calculated  to  encourage  him  to  undertake 
the  task  with  cheerfulness  and  hope. 

V.  13,  14.  Moses  now^  starts  a  difficulty  he  might  have 
■with  the  people.  They  might  ask  him  what  is  the  name  of 
him  from  whom  he  came.  It  is  important  to  determine  the 
real  bearing  of  this  question.  1.  We  have  repeatedl}^  met 
with  the  custom  in  early  times  of  giving  several  names  to  the 
same  individual,  as  Jacob  and  Israel,  Esau  and  Edoin,  Reuel 
and  Jethro.  This  was  not  even  peculiar  to  the  cast.  Paris 
and  Alexander,  Lucumo  and  Tarquinius,  Henry  and  Beauclerc, 
are  familiar  to  us  in  other  lands.  The  rea.son  of  this  custom 
■was  that  names  were  then  significant,  and  served  to  mark  out 
the  individual  by  some  peculiarity  in  bis  person,  some  tmit 


32  MOSES  CALLED. 

in  his  character,  or  some  event  connected  with  his  history. 
If  several  of  these  circumstances  might  occur  in  the  case  of  a 
finite  man,  how  much  more  may  we  expect  them  to  come 
out  in  the  contemplation  of  the  infinite  God.  Accordingly, 
among  a  primitive  people,  his  names  grow  in  number  as  the 
manifold  aspects  of  his  all-perfect  character  break  upon  their 
view.  He  is  called  Elohim,  the  Everlasting,  when  his  ante- 
cedent eternity  and  absolute  independence  are  contemplated. 
He  is  termed  Jehovah,  the  Self-existent,  the  Author  of  all 
existing  things,  when  he  is  regarded  as  the  free  and  personal 
God,  manifesting  his  being  to  the  intelligent  universe  by  the 
works  of  his  creative  power.  He  is  named  El  'Elion,  the  Most 
High  God,  when  his  unattainable  pre-eminence  above  all 
created  things  comes  into  view.  He  is  designated  El  Shaddai, 
the  Almighty  God,  when  he  wishes  to  set  before  the  mind  his 
unconquerable  omnipotence.  2.  In  the  next  place,  Moses  did 
not  require  to  ask  the  name  of  God,  if  we  mean  by  that  the 
term  by  which  he  was  commonly  known.  He  was  already 
familiar  with  his  name.  If  the  Book  of  Genesis  was  not  yet 
before  him  in  a  written  form,  the  traditions  of  his  fathers  were 
graven  on  his  memory.  Moreover,  God  had  already  an- 
nounced himself  to  him  as  the  God  of  his  fathers.  And, 
farther,  God  does  not  present  in  his  reply  any  one  of  all  the 
names  by  which  he  had  been  previously  known.  Hence  it  is 
plain  that  the  object  of  Moses  in  putting  this  question  could 
not  have  been  to  ascertain  any  of  the  former  names  of  God. 
3.  The  name,  in  the  conception  of  Moses,  was  the  title  by 
which  the  present  aspect  of  God  to  his  people  was  to  be 
designated.  And  the  meaning  of  his  question  is,  what  is  the 
principle  of  thy  being  or  movement  of  thy  will  which  is  now 
to  display  itself  to  thy  people  ? 

The  Lord  is  prompt  in  meeting  this  new  difiiculty  of  Moses. 
The  immediate  answer  to  his  question  is  a  new  name,  in  some 
respect  difierent  in  meaning  from  all  his  former  designations. 
Ehjeh  (Ehyeh),  I  AM,  in  the  sense,  I  now  proceed  to  make  myself 
known  to  he,  by  giving  being  to  my  promise  to  Abraham  of 
more  than  400  years'  standing.  Although  the  phrase  I  AM 
do  not  immediately  convey  all  this  to  English  ears,  yet  it  is 
so  brief  and  appropriate  in  its  general  sense,  and  so  hallowed 
in   our  associations,  that  we  would  not  venture  to   alter  it. 


EXODUS  III.  15-22.  33 

And  even  in  this  simple  form,  when  coupled  with  a  promise 
of  deliverance  such  as  Moses  was  comniissioned  to  announce,  it 
sug-gcsts  the  thought  that  his  people  will  soon  find  that  he  is  ]\y 
the  acts  he  performs.  Still  farther,  it  is  probable  that  the 
present  tense  of  our  English  verb  originally  meant,  and  it  is 
certain  that  it  still  ri'tains  among  its  mcanin<rs,  the  initial 
stage  of  an  action  or  event,  as  in  the  phrase,  I  go  to  town. 
It  is,  therefore,  the  only  form  fit  to  express  the  Hebrew  in- 
cipient. The  use  of  the  first  person  is  a  plain  indication  that 
the  name  is  intended  not  merely  to  distinguish  an  individual, 
but  to  express  a  sentiment  that  will  animate  the  people  with 
hope  and  resolution.  Such  a  form  is  strictly  appropriate  only 
in  the  mouth  of  the  speaker  ;  and,  accordingly,  it  is  not  after- 
wards em])loyed  as  a  name  of  God.  All  this  is  in  keeping, 
not  with  a  mere  name,  but  with  a  word  of  moral  power 
fitted  to  stir  the  heart,  and  meet  the  present  occasion. 

]\Ioses  was  now,  therefore,  armed  with  a  name  of  potent 
significance  by  which  to  designate  him  by  whose  authority  lie 
was  to  approach  the  people.  He  could  say,  he  in  whose 
name  I  come  is  about  to  realize  the  promise  of  the  land  of 
Kcnaan  made  to  the  seed  of  Abraham  ;  and  he  has  deigned 
to  embody  this  fact  in  a  significant  name,  indicating  his  pre- 
sent adherence  to  his  covenant  with  your  ftithers. 

V.  15-22.  Special  directions  are  now  given  to  Moses  re- 
garding his  commission.  Fir'd,  the  authority  under  which  he 
acts  is  formally  stated.  The  Lord,  that  is,  Jehovah.  We 
have  already  discussed  the  import  of  this  name  (Gen.  ii.  4). 
It  stands  in  relation  to  Ehjeh,  as  a  habit  of  the  active  powers 
is  to  a  particular  volition.  Jehovah  is  the  author  of  reality  in 
general ;  Ehjeh  is  he  who  is  on  tlie  point  of  giving  reality  to 
a  certain  thing  or  event.  The  two  names  then  refer  to  the 
same  attribute  of  the  divine  nature,  but  in  different  points  of 
view  ;  the  one  presenting  it  as  a  potence  in  habitual  exercise  ; 
the  other  as  a  potence  passing  into  a  new  course  of  action. 
Hence  we  can  understand  how  the  Lord,  after  announcing 
himself  to  Moses  by  a  new  form  of  appellation,  fitted  to  the 
special  occasion,  immediately  reverts  to  the  well-known  and 
long  established  name  which  involves  the  same  property  of 
his  nature.  In  accordance  with  this  identity  of  the  quality 
signified  by  the   two  names,  it  is  fitly  added,    "  This  is  my 

c 


34  MOSES  CALLED. 

name  for  ever,  and  this  my  memorial  unto  all  generations." 
The  name  refers  to  the  objective  and  sensible  sign ;  the 
memorial  to  the  subjective  and  mental  concept  of  the  divine 
being.  He  that  gives  effect  to  his  uttered  resolve  is  the 
author  of  eternal  life  to  his  church. 

V.  16,  17.  Next,  the  course  he  is  to  pursue  with  regard  to 
the  people  of  God  is  pointed  out.  Gather  the  elders  of  Israel. 
Officers  of  this  class  were  common  to  all  mankind  in  primeval 
times.  We  have  already  met  with  them  in  Egypt  (Gen.  1. 
7).  We  here  find  them  established  in  Israel  antecedent  to 
the  legislation  of  Moses.  Their  name  is  derived  from  the 
quality  of  age,  which  confers  experience  and  claims  authority. 
They  were  perpetuated  through  all  the  variations  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel,  and  descended  from  them  to  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  in  which  they  still  maintain  their  place.  / 
have  surely  visited  you,  personally  come  to  see  you,  and  all 
that  is  done  to  you,  in  order  to  take  the  proper  steps  for 
your  deliverance. 

V.  18.  The  manner  in  which  he  is  to  approach  the  king  of 
Egypt  is  next  laid  down.  They  shall  hearken  to  thy  voice. 
They  have  been  chastened  by  the  oppression  of  Egypt,  and 
will  now  listen  gladly  to  a  duly  accredited  deliverer.  Thus 
far  Moses  will  find  his  reception  encouraging.  Thou  and  the 
elders  of  Israel.  A  venerable  deputation  of  the  heads  of  the 
people  are  to  accompany  Moses  to  Pharoh.  Jehovah,  the 
Ood  of  the  Hebrews.  To  Israel  this  epithet  of  Jehovah 
would  be  encouraging ;  to  Pharoh,  it  is  merely  explanatory. 
We  learn  from  it  that  the  Shemites  of  the  line  of  Heber 
continued  to  acknowledge  the  tiTie  God  after  the  other  nations 
had  forsaken  him.  In  other  words,  the  revelation  of  God 
made  to  the  common  fathers  of  the  human  race,  remained  in 
its  purity  among  the  Hebrews  after  it  had  been  essentially 
corrupted  among  the  other  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  plainly 
implied  that  the  gods  of  Egypt  were  now  essentially  differ- 
ent from  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  ;  as  will  presently''  appear 
in  the  most  conspicuous  manner.  Hath  onet  with  us,  with 
Moses  in  the  bush  at  Horeb,  and  with  us  in  the  signs  he  has 
wrought  through  him  before  us,  (v.  30).  Let  us  go  three 
days'  journey  into  the  vnlderness.  This  request  seems  at 
first  to  be  put  in  a  politic  form,  as  if  to  secure  a  favourable 


EXODUS  III.  1 8.  86 

answer.  This,  however,  was  quite  unnecessary,  since  the 
Almighty  was  about  to  bring  his  people  out  of  Egypt  by  a 
strong  hand.  It  is  merely  expressed  in  a  style  of  reserve  and 
moderation.  It  was  not  requisite  to  reveal  to  Pliaroh,  who 
was  in  a  hostile  mood,  all  the  intentions  of  God  conccrninf? 
his  people.  Hence  Pharoh  is  merely  informed  that  the  Gt)d 
of  the  Hebrews  has  met  with  them;  and  their  request  is 
limited  to  the  first  step  to  be  taken  in  obedience  to  his  will. 
A  three  days'  journey  is  mentioned,  simply  because  this  would 
take  them  clear  out  of  Egypt,  one  day  being  employed  in 
setting  out,  one  in  marching,  and  the  third  in  coining  to  a 
resting-place.  And  a  sacrifice  is  added,  because  this  is  the 
first  act  of  obedience.  The  former  involves  their  departure 
out  of  Egypt ;  the  latter  commences  the  perfect  service  of 
God.  This  is  exactly  the  mode  in  which  God  trains  his 
people.  The  immediate  duty  and  the  immediate  blessing  are 
set  before  them,  and  these  are  pregnant  with  all  farther  and 
higher  duties  and  blessings.  So  he  deals  with  Pharoh. 
But  there  is  not  only  reserve,  but  moderation  in  the  request. 
It  makes  the  smallest  demand  consistent  with  actually  leav- 
ing, and  assigns  the  highest  reason  for  taldng  this  step, 
namely,  the  command  of  God.  By  sedulously  avoiding 
every  thing  harsh  and  extravagant  in  its  terms,  it  affords  the 
least  possible  occasion  for  Pharoh  to  harden  his  heart,  and 
dismiss  the  petitioners  with  an  obstinate  refusal.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  a  bold  and  open  assertion  of  liberty.  If  the 
people  had  formed  a  secret  plot  to  escape  from  the  land  of 
their  bondage,  we  should  have  been  slow  to  condemn,  if  not 
prompt  to  applaud.  But  this  is  not  the  Lord's  way.  If 
Pharoh  had  condescended  to  ask  at  once,  "  Who  shall  go  ? 
Will  your  wives  and  children  go?  Will  your  cattle  and  your 
other  moveables  be  taken  with  you?"  he  would  have 
received,  as  he  eventually  did,  a  ready  and  candid  reply.  But 
such  questions  were  in  reality  superfluous.  Pharoh  was  well 
aware  that  bondsmen  who  had  marched  three  days  out  of 
the  land  of  the  oppressor,  with  their  families  and  goods, 
would  not  return  without  compulsion. 

v.  10,  20.  Moses  is  farther  forewarned  of  the  unwilling- 
ness of  Pharoh  to  grant  the  request  of  the  people,  and  of  the 
means  by  which  this  unwillingness  is  to  be  overcome.     And 


36  MOSES  CALLED. 

/  know.  Fore -knowledge  is  as  certain  to  God  as  after-know- 
ledge. But  hy  a  viighty  hand,  the  hand  of  God  doing  his 
wonders  in  the  land  of  Ham.  The  servant  of  the  Lord  is 
therefore  not  to  be  discouraged  by  the  unavailing  opposition 
of  Pharoh. 

V.  21,  22.  The  Israelites  are  not  to  go  out  empty-handed. 
The  sojourn  of  Joseph  in  Egypt  as  a  bond-slave  had  been 
the  means  of  preserving  the  inhabitants  of  that  country  from 
extermination  by  a  seven  years'  famine.  The  residence  of 
his  kindred  in  Goshen  had  always  been  a  benefit  and  not  a 
burden  to  Egypt.  And  for  the  last  two  or  three  generations 
the  Israelites  had  been  bond-slaves,  toiling  for  the  prosperity 
and  aggrandisement  of  the  nation.  They  had,  therefore,  an 
undoubted  right  to  ask,  and  the  Egyptians  were  eventually 
glad  to  give  them  some  aid  for  their  journey.  Shall  ask,  as 
a  gift,  if  not  a  compensation  for  long  unrequited  services. 
The  word  cannot  mean  to  borrow  here,  when  the  Egyptians 
were  perfectly  aware  that  the  Israelites  would  not  return. 
Of  her  that  sojourneth  in  her  house,  either  a  visitor  or  a 
mistress  whom  she  served,  in  any  case  her  superior,  and 
perhaps  owner.  Spoil  Mizraim.  The  Egyptians  would  be 
so  overcome  by  abject  distress  as  to  be  ready  to  part  with 
a  considerable  portion  of  their  wealth,  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
a  people  whose  presence  menaced  them  with  utter  exter- 
mination. 


CHAP.    IV.    MOSES  OBEYS  THE  CALL. 

14.  I^HN  Aharon,  perhaps  bright  or  tall.  r.  perhaps  akin 
to  lix  light,  or  "in  hill. 

18.  in)  =  inn:  The  latter  is  the  reading  of  one  MS.  of 
the  Sam.,  Syr.,  Vulg.  and  Arabic.  The  former,  of  the  other 
MSS.  and  of  the  Sept. ;  of  the  latter  in  both  parts  of  the  verse. 
It  seems  an  instance  of  diversity  of  language. 

And  Moses  answered  and  said,  But  behold  they  will  not  believe 
me,  nor  hearken  unto  my  voice  :  for  they  will  say,  The  Lord  hath  not 
appeared  unto  thee.  2  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  What  is  this 
in  thy  hand  1     And  he  said,  A  rod.     3  And  he  said,  Cast  it  on  tha 


EXODUS  IV.  37 

ground.  And  he  cast  it  on  the  ground,  and  it  hocamc  a  serpent ;  and 
]\Ios(;s  fled  from  before  it  4  And  tlie  Lokd  said  unto  Closes,  Put 
forth  thy  hand,  and  catch  it  by  tlie  tail.  And  he  put  forth  his  hand 
and  seized  it,  and  it  became  a  rod  in  liis  hand.  5  Thot  tliey  may  be- 
lieve that  the  Lord,  tjie  God  of  their  fathers,  the  God  of  Aljraham,  the 
God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  appeared  unto  thee.  6  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  him  again,  Put  now  thy  hand  into  thy  l)osom. 
And  he  put  his  hand  into  his  bosom  ;  and  he  took  it  out,  and  lo,  his 
liaud  was  leprous  as  snow.  7  And  he  said.  Put  thy  hand  again  into 
thy  bosom.  And  he  put  his  hand  again  into  his  bosom  ;  and  he  took 
it  out  of  his  bosom,  and  behold  it  was  restored  as  his  other  flesli. 

8  And  it  shall  be,  if  they  will  not  believe  thee,  nor  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  the  first  sign,  that  they  will  believe  the  voice  of  the  latter  sign. 

9  And  it  shall  be,  if  they  will  not  believe  even  these  two  signs,  nor 
hearken  unto  thy  voice,  that  thou  shalt  take  of  the  water  of  the  river, 
and  pour  on  the  dry  land  :  and  the  water  which  thou  takest  out  of  the 
river  shall  become  blood  upon  the  dry  land. 

10  And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  0  Lord,  I  am  not  eloc^uent,  nei- 
ther heretofore,  nor  since  thou  hast  spoken  unto  thy  servant ;  for  I  am 
slow  of  mouth  and  slow  of  tongue.  1 1  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
AVho  hath  made  man's  mouth,  or  who  maketh  dumb  or  deaf,  or  seeing 
or  blind  ?  Do  not  I  the  Lord?  12  And  now  go,  and  I  will  be  ■with 
thy  mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  speak.  13  And  he  said, 
t)  Lord,  send  now  by  whomsoever  thou  wilt  send,  li  And  the  anger 
of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Moses  ;  and  he  said,  Is  there  not 
Aaron  thy  brother  the  Levite  1  I  know  that  he  can  speak  well :  and 
also  behold  he  cometh  forth  to  meet  thee,  and  he  shall  see  thee,  and 
be  glad  in  his  heart.  15  And  thou  .shalt  speak  to  him,  and  put  words 
in  his  mouth  ;  and  I  will  ha  with  thy  mouth  and  with  his  mouth,  and 
will  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do.  1 6  And  he  shall  speak  for  thee  to 
the  people,  and  it  shall  be,  that  he  shall  be  to  thee  for  a  mouth,  and 
thou  shalt  be  to  him  for  God.  17  And  this  rod  shalt  thou  take  in 
thy  hand,  wherewith  thou  shalt  do  the  signs.  ^  4 

18  And  Moses  went  and  returned  to  Jether  his  father-in-law,  and 
said  to  him.  Let  me  go  now  and  return  to  my  brethren  who  are  in 
Mizraim,  and  see  whether  they  be  yet  alive.  And  Jethro  said  unto 
Moses,  Go  in  peace. 

19  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  in  Midian,  Go  return  to  Mizraim, 
for  all  the  men  who  sought  thy  life  are  dead.  20  And  Closes  took 
his  wife  and  his  sons,  and  set  them  upon  the  ass,  and  returned  to  the 
land  of  Mizraim  :  and  Moses  took  the  rod  of  God  in  his  hand. 

21  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  AVhcn  thou  goest  to  return  into 
Mizraim,  behold  all  the  "wonders  that  I  have  put  in  thy  band  and  do 


38  MOSES  OBEYS  THE  CALL. 

them  before  Pharoh ;  and  I  will  harden  his  heart,  and  he  shall  not 
let  the  people  go.  22  Then  thou  shalt  say  unto  Pharoh,  Tims  saith 
the  Lord,  Israel  is  my  son,  my  first-born.  23  And  I  said  unto  thee, 
Let  my  son  go,  and  serve  me,  and  thou  didst  refuse  to  let  him  go  ; 
behold,  T  will  slay  thy  son,  thy  first-born. 

24  And  it  came  to  pass  by  the  way  in  the  inn,  that  the  Lord  met 
him  and  sought  to  kill  him.  25  And  Zipporah  took  a  sharp  stone, 
and  cut  off  the  foreskin  of  her  son,  and  cast  it  at  his  feet  :  and  she 
said.  For  a  spouse  of  blood  art  thou  to  me.  26  And  he  left  him  ; 
tlien  she  said,  A  spouse  of  blood,  because  of  the  circumcision.     ^  5, 

27  And  the  Lord  said  to  Aaron,  Go  to  meet  !Moses  in  the  wilder- 
ness. And  he  went  and  met  him  in  the  mount  of  God,  and  kissed  him. 
28  And  Moses  told  Aaron  all  the  w^ords  of  the  Lord  who  had  sent 
him,  and  all  the  signs  which  he  had  commanded  him.  29  And  Moses 
and  Aaron  Avent,  and  gathered  all  the  elders  of  the  sons  of  Israel. 
30  And  Aaron  spake  all  the  words  which  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto 
Moses;  and  did  the  signs  in  the  eyes  of  the  people.  31  And  the 
people  believed :  and  they  heard  that  the  Lord  had  visited  the  sons 
of  Israel,  and  that  he  had  looked  on  their  affliction,  and  they  bent 
their  heads  and  bowed  themselves  down. 

The  Lord  here  obviates  all  the  remaining  difficulties  of 
Moses,  who  then  obtains  leave  of  Jethro  to  return  to  Egypt 
(v,  1-18).  Setting  out  on  his  journey  he  is  met  by  Aaron, 
and  on  his  arrival  is  well  received  by  the  people  (v.  19-31). 

V.  1-9.  The  third  plea  of  Moses  is  the  incredulity  of  the 
people.  There  is  no  manifestation  of  God  to  Israel  on  record 
since  he  appeared  to  Jacob  on  the  way  to  Egypt  (Gen.  xlvi.  2) ; 
and  this  was  210  years  ago.  And  Moses  had  now  been  in 
exile  forty  years,  and  would  be  a  comparative  stranger  to  most 
of  his  nation.  The  Lord  meets  this  plea  by  supplying  him 
with  credentials  that  could  not  be  gainsaid.  These  are  in  the 
form  of  certain  supernatural  wonders,  of  which  the  Lord  now 
exhibits  two  in  the  sight  of  Moses  for  the  confirmation  of  his 
own  faith,  and  directs  that  along  with  these  a  third  should  be 
performed  in  Egypt  to  demonstrate  to  the  people  and  to 
Pharoh  that  he  was  an  ambassador  from  the  God  of  the 
Hebrews.  It  has  been  generally  felt  that  these  wonders  must 
have  been  selected  with  a  due  regard  to  the  occasion,  and  are, 
therefore,  not  only  miracles  attesting  a  divine  message,  but 
signs  shadowing  forth  pertinent  truths  to  all  the  parties  con- 
cerned.    The  early  mind  was  peculiarly  open  to  the  figurative 


EXODUS  IV.  1-9.  39 

method  of  instruction.  The  hieroglypliic  mode  of  writing  was 
a  most  ingenious  and  elaborate  application  of  symbols  to  the 
use  of  recording  events. 

V  2-5.  The  first  sign  given  to  Moses  contains  a  plain  allu- 
sion to  his  change  of  office.  A  rod.  This  is  the  instrument 
and  symbol  of  his  present  condition,  the  shepherd's  crook. 
Cast  it  on  the  ground,  an  act  symbolic  of  his  abandonment  of 
that  condition.  It  became  a  serpent,  a  dangerous  and  for- 
midable creature  from  which  Moses  fled.  There  is  no  distant 
allusion  here.to  the  repugnance  of  Moses  to  the  new  office 
which  was  proposed  to  him.  The  serpent,  moreover,  was  the 
ostensible  tempter  and  traitor  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  and 
therefore  the  representjitive  of  the  author  and  abettor  of  evil. 
And  in  particular  the  asp,  a  kind  of  serpent,  played  a  conspi- 
cuous part  in  Egyptian  mythology.  It  was  the  emblem  of  the 
goddess  Rtmno,  the  snake  of  Neph,  the  hieroglyphic  of  "  god- 
dess," and  the  sign  of  royalty.  From  this  last  use  it  was 
called  Uraeus,  from  ouro,  king,  and  ^aaiX'iey.og,  royal  (Raw- 
linson's  Herod,  ii.  105).  Egypt  was,  therefore,  not  obscurely 
pointed  out,  as  the  adversary  of  God  and  His  people  at  this 
time.  Moses  shrunk  from  grappling  with  this  hostile  power. 
Put  forth  thy  hand  and  catch  it.  This  indicates  Moses' 
reluctant  acceptance  of  his  new  office.  It  became  a  rod  in 
his  hand.  What  was  formidable  to  weak  faith  and  hesitat- 
ing obedience,  became  a  rod  of  power  as  soon  as  the  decisive 
act  was  performed.  The  shephei'd's  rod  is  now  the  rod  of 
God,  with  which  He  is  to  conduct  the  people  of  God  from 
Egypt  to  the  promised  land.  That  they  may  believe.  Moses 
is  empowered  to  perform  this  miracle  before  the  people,  that 
they  may  believe  his  divine  mission.  Hence  it  appears  that 
one  end  of  a  miracle  is  to  authenticate  a  divine  communica- 
tion and  bo  a  w^arrant  to  faith. 

V.  G-8.  The  second  sign  points  to  a  renewal  of  nature  in 
Moses  and  the  people.  Put  noiv  thy  hand  into  thy  bosom,. 
Tlie  hand  is  the  emblem  of  power.  The  putting  of  it  into 
the  bosom  is  merely  the  withdrawing  of  it  from  action  into 
rest  and  security.  Taking  it  out  is  preparing  to  resume 
activity.  Leirrous  as  snoiu.  Leprosy  is  a  loathsome  disease 
of  the  skin  prevailing  in  Egypt  and  the  southern  parts  of 


40  MOSES  OBEYS  THE  CALL. 

Asia.  It  appears  in  spots  on  different  parts  of  the  body, 
which  sometimes  become  confluent  and  cover  the  whole  body. 
It  is  called  white  from  the  colour  assumed  by  the  part 
affected,  and  the  hair  that  grows  on  it.  Hence  the  phrase, 
"leprous  as  snow."  It  is  distinguished  as  Lepra  Mosaica, 
from  the  notice  taken  of  it  by  Moses  in  his  legislation  (Lev. 
xiii.  14).  The  leprosy  is  not  employed  in  Scripture  as  a 
figure  for  sin  as  an  act  or  habit.  But  the  leper  is  declared 
unclean  ;  and  moral  uncleanness  is  the  consequence  of  such 
sin.  The  hand  of  Moses,  when  brought  out  for  action,  is 
found  to  be  leprous — not  impotent,  as  in  paralysis,  but 
defiled,  and  defiling  whatever  it  touches.  This  is  a  striking 
figure  of  the  unclean  or  unhallowed  power  of  fallen  man, 
which  works  evil  and  not  good.  It  is  typical  of  the  old 
man  in  Moses  and  in  Israel,  especially  now  when  they  are 
contaminated  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  idolatrous 
Egypt.  Fut  thy  hand  again  into  thy  bosom.  On  drawing 
it  forth  from  the  bosom  it  is  now  found  to  be  restored  as  the 
healthy  flesh.  The  degenerate  power  of  Moses  was  unfit  for 
the  work  of  God.  Its  sanctification  is  represented  by  the 
restoration  of  the  leprous  hand.  And  as  Moses  is  consecrated 
to  the  task  of  leading  the  people  out  of  Egypt,  so  are  they  to 
be  consecrated  to  the  Lord  as  a  chosen  generation  to  show 
forth  His  praise  and  accomplish  His  purpose.  The  voice  of 
the  first  sign.  By  a  beautiful  figure  these  signs  are  described 
as  having  a  voice,  because  they  speak  to  the  people  of  the 
presence  and  power  of  God  with  His  messenger. 

V.  9.  This  sign  evidently  refers  to  Egypt.  The  Nile  was 
venerated  as  a  divinity  under  the  name  of  Hapi — cognate,  if 
not  identical,  with  Apis.  Its  waters  were  therefore  regarded 
as  sacred,  and  highly  esteemed  as  salubrious  to  the  drinker 
and  fertilisino-  to  the  soil.  To  change  these  waters  into  blood 
shed  on  the  ground  is  to  turn  the  stream  of  life  into  a  pool 
of  death.  It  speaks  of  disaster  and  death  to  Egypt  and  its 
gods.  He  that  has  power  over  the  deified  Nile  may  defy  all 
the  mio'ht  of  Pharoh.  He  is  accredited  as  the  minister  of 
God,  called  to  His  office,  qualified  for  His  holy  task,  and 
armed  with  miraculous  powers  for  the  discomfiture  of  Egypt, 
by  the  Lord,  the  most  high  God,  founder  of  heaven  and 
earth. 


EXODUS  IV.  1017.  41 

V.  10-17.  Moses  coniprehentls  all  that  is  implied  in  this 
last  sign,  stands  agiiast  at  the  deadly  encounter  with  the 
l)oNvor.s  of  Egyi>t,  and  urges  a  fourth  plea.  I  am  not  eloquent, 
a  man  of  words,  competent  to  lay  before  the  mind  of  Pharoh 
the  awful*  alternative  of  concession  or  compulsion.  His 
powers  of  persuasion  had  not  prevailed  with  Iiis  own  country- 
men. His  present  interview  with  the  Almighty  had  not 
increased  them,  and  he  could  not  expect  to  maintain  the  argu- 
ment worthily  in  this  great  cause  before  the  haughty 
monarch  of  Egypt,  v.  11.  Who  hath  made  man's  motith? 
The  liOrd  is  still  patient  with  Moses,  and  meets  his  objection 
with  an  unanswerable  rejoinder.  In  a  series  of  interrogatories 
it  is  intimated  that  the  Lord  is  an  infallible  judge  of  what 
amount  of  natural  eloquence  is  requisite  for  the  occasion,  and 
is  able  and  sure  to  supply  the  deficiency,  if  any  such  exist. 
V.  12.  I  ivill  be  ivith  thy  mouth.  Here  the  requisite  aid  is 
expressly  promised.  v.  13.  Notwithstanding  this  assuiing 
rej)ly,  Moses  prays  the  Lord  to  confer  this  honour  on  any 
other  than  himself,  v.  14-17.  This  rather  hasty  and  impa- 
tient expression  of  unwillingness  provokes  the  Lord  to  anger. 
Yet,  as  this  backwardness  arose  not  from  any  unworthy 
motive,  but  from  an  absence  of  ambition,  a  love  of  retirement, 
or  a  deep  feeling  of  humility,  the  Lord  does  not  turn  away 
from  his  pui^iose,  but  with  a  gentle  firmness  acquaints  him 
with  another  relief  he  has  provided  for  his  slowness  of  speech. 
Aaron,  thy  brother  the  Levite.  This  is  put  first  as  tlie  pro- 
minent object  of  thought.  The  words  in  apposition  with 
Aaron  are  merely  intended  to  designate  him  fully,  according 
to  the  Hebrew  manner.  He  is  of  the  same  parents  and  tribe 
witli  Moses,  and  therefore  suitable  as  an  associate  in  this 
arduous  undertaking.  And  though  he  was  the  elder  brother, 
yet  the  Lord  assures  Moses  that  he  will  be  glad  to  see  him, 
and  of  course  act  under  him.  Tliou  shalf  sjwalc  to  him. 
Moses  is  to'  perform  the  higher  part  still  even  in  speaking, 
namely,  to  dictate  the  words  which  Aaron  is  to  utter.  The 
promise  of  Divine  aid  is  accordingly  reiterated  and  extended 
to  both.  He  shall  speak  for  thee  to  the  people.  We  learn 
from  this  that  God  does  not  needlessly  alter  the  natural 
qualities  of  his  highest  servants.  The  characteristics  of  mind 
and  will  in  the  individual,  though  dedicated  and  adapted  to  a 


42  MOSES  OBEYS  THE  CALL. 

holy  use,  are  still  allowed  to  remain,  and  to  peep  out  in  all 
his  sayings  and  doings.  And  thou  shall  be  to  him  for  God. 
The  figure  here  is  as  bold  as  it  is  expressive.  What  God  is 
to  Moses,  that  Moses  is  to  Aaron  in  regard  to  the  matter  and 
the  authority  of  his  message.  What  Moses  is  to  God,  that 
Aaron  is  to  be  to  Moses  in  regard  to  the  delivery  of  it.  And 
this  rod.  This  wand  of  authority  he  recalls  to  the  mind  of 
Moses  as  another  source  of  encouragement.  Wherewith  thou 
shalt  do  the  signs.  This  staff  was  to  be  always  with  him  as 
the  badge  of  his  ofiice,  if  not  the  instrument  of  operation. 

V.  18-26.  All  his  fears  and  scruples  being  at  length  over- 
come, Moses  prepares  for  entering  on  his  ofiice.  Jether  here 
is  Jethro  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  verse.  We  may  learn 
from  this  that  a  mere  variation  in  the  orthography  of  a  proper 
name  may  indicate  a  variety  in  pronunciation,  and  not  a 
deviation  from  the  autograph  of  the  author.  Let  me  go  noiv. 
Moses  asks  leave  of  his  father-in-law  to  depart.  Not  only 
common  courtesy,  but  the  benefits  he  had  received  from 
Jethro  demand  this.  See  whether  they  he  yet  alive.  The 
private  ends  he  had  in  view  he  is  at  liberty  to  disclose  to 
Jethro.  Other  reasons  it  was  not  necessary  to  state,  to 
warrant  his  departure.  Jethro  is  just  as  well  as  generous, 
and  bids  him  go  in  peace. 

V.  19,  20.  In  Midian.  This  implies  that  the  mount  of 
God,  west  of  the  wilderness,  where  Moses  saw  the  burning 
bush,  was  not  in  Midian.  For  all  the  men  who  sought  thy  life 
are  dead.  The  present  communication  has  reference,  not  to 
the  heavenly  mission  of  Moses,  but  to  his  personal  relations 
with  Egypt.  The  cause  of  flight  from  his  kindred  was  the 
vengeance  of  the  king  and  the  kinsmen  of  hira  whom  he  had 
slain.  They  were  now  dead,  and  he  was  at  liberty  to  return. 
The  higher  reasons  for  his  return  did  not  at  present  concern 
the  Midianites.  His  sons.  Though  the  birth  of  only  one 
son  has  been  recorded,  yet  we  know  from  the  subsequent 
narrative  (Ex.  xviii.  4),  that  a  second  son  was  born  to  him. 
The  ass.  This  may  mean  either  the  single  ass,  or  the  species 
of  animal  on  which  they  rode.  In  the  former  case  the  two 
children  must  have  been  young.  The  ass  is  a  much  nobler 
animal  in  the  east  than  with  us.  The  rod  of  the  Ood,  the 
true  and  living  God,  in  contrast  with  the  gods  of  the  heathcj^ 


EXODUS  IV.  21-23.  43 

The  rod  after  having  been  transformed  by  the  divine  power 
into  a  serpent,  and  from  a  ser[)ent  into  a  staif  of  ollice,  may 
justly  be  termed  the  rod  of  God. 

V.  21-23.  Tlie  result  of  the  ajoplication  of  Moses  to  Pharoh, 
and  of  the  ])erformancc  of  all  his  wonders,  -will  only  be  an 
obstinate  refusal  to  let  the  people  go.  This  is  here  again 
intimated,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  dread  ultimatum  whieh 
is  to  be  finally  announced  to  Pharoh.  Behold,  with  the  eye 
of  remembrance  and  attention.  TIte  luondcrs.  Works  that  are 
supernatural,  or  contravene  the  laws  of  nature.  They  are  called 
signs,  in  reference  to  their  use,  as  attesting  the  presence,  the 
message  or  the  messenger  of  God,  or  as  symbolising  any  fact  or 
doctrine.  "All  "  the  wonders  seem  to  refer  not  merely  to  the 
three  signs,  but  to  the  first  nine  plagues  with  which  Egyi)t  was 
visited.  In  thy  hand,  in  thy  power  by  the  rod  in  thy  hand. 
And  I  ivill  harden  his  heart.  The  hardening  of  Pharoh's 
heart  is  in  this  narrative  ten  times  ascribed  to  the  Lord.  But 
it  is  also  at  least  twice  ascribed  to  Pharoh  himself  (viii.  28, 
ix.  34).  In  seven  other  passages  it  is  stated  simply  as  a  fact, 
without  assigning  any  cause.  It  is  evident  of  itself  that  this 
fact  is  ascribed  to  God  and  to  Pharoh  in  different  respects  ; 
so  that  the  two  assertions  are  perfectly  consistent  with  each 
other.  It  is  equally  plain  that  the  act  in  question  belongs  to 
Piiaroh,  as  the  moral  agent  by  whose  intention  it  was  per- 
formed. It  belongs  to  God  as  the  Designer,  Creator,  and 
Supreme  Governor  of  the  existing  universe,  of  wdiich  free 
agents  and  their  voluntary  actings  form  a  part.  His  absolute 
and  universal  dominion  follows  from  the  act  of  creation,  and 
was  constantly  present  to  the  minds  of  the  children  of  God 
in  ancient  days.  Its  effect  upon  the  mind  was  solemn  and 
impressive,  and  never  suggested  the  faintest  presumi)tic)n  of 
injustice  in  God,  even  when  the  acts  that  were  sinful  in  his 
creatures  were  traced  in  another  sense  to  his  holy  and  awful 
will.  The  Scripture,  accordingly,  never  hesitates  for  a  moment 
to  ascribe  ab.solute  holiness  to  God,  and  all  the  guilt  of  a  sin- 
ful act  to  the  free  ajjents.  Farther  than  this  it  becomes  us 
not  to  define  an  administration  which  we  are  incompetent 
fully  to  conceive,  or  exactly  to  express.  Then  thou  shall  say 
unto  Pharoh.  This  is  the  ultimate  message,  when  all  feebler 
strokes  had  proved  ineffectual.     Israel  is  my  son,  adopted  in 


44  MOSES  OBEYS  THE  CALL. 

sovereign  mercy  to  the  inheritance  of  privileges  which  to  those 
who  appreciate  and  accept  them  will  be  perpetuated  and 
enhanced.  My  first-horn,  and  therefore  most  dear,  but  not 
exclusively  dear.  The  first  born  son  suggests  other  sons  born 
afterwards,  and  points  in  the  distance  to  the  calling  of  the 
Gentiles.  And  I  said  unto  thee.  This  refers  to  the  message 
again  and  again  urged  upon  Pharoh,  and  hitherto  obstinately 
rejected.  /  tvill  slay  thy  son.  This  is  the  final  stroke  on  him 
who  persisted  to  the  last  in  leaving  all  to  the  arbitrament  of 
war,  even  with  the  Almighty.  His  first-born,  the  heir  to  his 
throne,  and  the  first-born  of  all  his  people,  must  be  slain  be- 
fore he  can  be  induced  to  let  Israel  go. 

V.  24-26.    The  sacred  narrative  is  not  wont  to  notice  inci- 
dents on  the  way  unless  they  come  within  the  sphere  of  the 
spiritual.      Thus   Jacob  travels  from   Beersheba  to  Haran,  a 
distance  of  nearly  500  miles,  and  only  the  occurrence  at  Bethel 
is  mentioned.      So  here  a  single  incident  is  taken  up  from  the 
ordinary  routine  of  the  journey  to  Egypt  on  account  of  its 
moral  import.      It  contains    an  element   of  truth    that  is  of 
present  moment  in  elucidating  the  ways  of  God.      The  Lord 
met  him  and  sought  to  kill  him.     The  Lord  had  been  charging 
Moses  with  a  menace  of  the  gravest  kind  to  Pharoh.      It  was 
well  that  Moses  himself  should  feel  acutely  the  pang  of  death, 
that  he  may  comprehend  the  terrible  meaning  of  this  threat. 
It  appears  that  his  youngest  son  had  not  been  circumcised 
through  some  unexplained  fault  of  Moses.      The  neglect  of  the 
divinely  appointed  sign  of  the  covenant  of  peace  with  God 
was  a  serious  delinquency,  especially  in  him  who  was  to  be 
the  leader  and  lawgiver  of  the  holy  people.    It  was  meet  that  the 
austere  perfection  of  the  divine  holiness  should  be  made  known 
to  Moses.      It  was  necessary  at   this  stage  of  his  experience 
that  he  should  learn  that  God  is  in  earnest  when  he  speaks 
and  will  assuredly  perform  all  that  he  has  threatened.      Hence 
the   Lord  sought  to  kill   him,   probably  by  some  disease  or 
sudden    stroke,   which    threatened    immediate    death.     And 
Zipporah  took.     It  is  probable  from  her  spontaneous  prompti- 
tude that  Zipporah  was  in  some  way  the  cause  of  the  delay  in 
circumcising  the  child.     A  sharp  stone.     This  was  a  stone  or 
flint  knife,  such  as  was  used  afterwards  by  Joshua  in  circum- 
cising the  children  of  Israel  on  their  entrance  into  the  land  of 


EXODUS  IV.  2G-31.  45 

Kenaan  (Jos.  v.  2).  We  read  that  Tubal-caiii  tlic  eiylith  in 
descent  from  Adam  was  a  worker  in  brass  and  iron,  llenee 
it  appears  that  implements  of  stone  were  contemporaneous  with 
those  of  the  common  metals.  The  use  of  them  seems  to  have 
prevailed  in  rural  or  remote  regions  into  which  the  arts  of 
smelting  and  forging  metals  had  not  penetrated.  The  theory, 
therefore,  of  the  successive  ages  of  stone,  bra-ss,  and  iron,  may 
apply  to  particular  localities,  but  not  to  the  whole  habitable 
earth.  The  arts  of  metalluigy  flourished  in  certain  races 
while  the  ruder  ware,  fashioned  out  of  stone,  bone,  and  wood, 
was  prevalent  among  others.  And  cad  it  at  his  feet.  This 
indicates  that  Moses  had  signified  his  wish  that  the  child 
should  be  circumcised.  For  a  sjxmse  of  blood  art  thou  to  me. 
The  word  for  refers  to  the  significant  act  of  casting  the  fore- 
skin at  Moses'  feet,  which  implied  that  her  connexion  with 
him  had  necessitated  this  bloody  rite.  Her  womanly  tender- 
ness shrunk  from  the  painful  operation.  And  he  left  him. 
The  Lord  who  sought  to  put  him  to  death  remitted  the  penalty 
now  that  the  neglected  duty  was  performed.  Because  of  the 
circmncision.  This  explains  her  accosting  Moses  as  a  spouse 
of  blood,  as  it  was  to  save  him  from  death  that  she  was  con- 
strained to  do  herself  the  masculine  part  of  circumcising  her 
child.  This  was  a  salutary  and  seasonable  lesson  to  Zip})orah 
as  well  as  to  Moses.  The  occurrence  probably  took  place  on 
the  first  night  of  their  journey,  as  they  had  not  reached  the 
mount  of  God  (v.  27).  The  child  was  now  unfit  for  travel, 
and  it  was  easy  for  the  mother  to  return  with  the  two  child- 
ren to  her  father.  It  is  most  likely,  therefore,  that  this  was 
the  point  from  which  she  was  sent  home  by  her  husband  (xviii. 
2),  in  order  to  avoid  the  dangers  and  inconveniences  which 
she  was  w^illing  to  brave  on  his  account,  had  nut  this  provi- 
dential interposition  ordered  it  otherwise. 

Moses  must  have  occupied  at  least  a  day  in  returning  to 
Midian  with  the  flock  of  Jethro,  two  or  three  days  in  making 
preparations,  and  a  day  in  setting  out  with  his  wife  and  family. 
The  distance  from  Midian  to  Egypt  was  probably  not  less  than 
200  miles,  for  which  we  may  allow  seven  days.  Starting 
about  the  beginning  of  the  year,  according  to  our  reckoning 
he  would  arrive  in  Egypt  about  the  13th  of  Januar}-. 

V.  27-31.   We  have  here  a  summary  of  the  reception  which- 


46  MOSES  APPEARS  BEFORE  PHAROH. 

Moses  met  with  from  the  people.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Aaron.  The  nari-ative,  as  usual,  goes  back  a  little  to  take  up 
another  line  of  things.  In  the  wilderness,  the  region  between 
the  gulfs  of  Suez  and  Akabah.  In  the  mount  of  the  God  of 
heaven  they  met.  And  kissed  him,  the  eastern  mode  of 
salutation.  After  receiving  instructions  from  Moses,  Aaron 
accompanied  him  to  Egypt.  They  gathered  the  elders  of  the 
people  (iii.  16).  And  Aaron  spake  (v.  16).  Aaron  being 
eighty  three  years  of  age,  and  having  lived  constantly  among  the 
people,  now  served  to  introduce  Moses  who  had  been  an  exile 
for  forty  years,  and  was  therefore  unknown  to  the  rising 
generation.  And  did  the  signs.  As  Aaron  did  the  signs 
before  Pharoh,  it  is  probable  and  accordant  with  the  text 
that  he  should  also  be  the  performer  before  the  people.  This 
is  in  keeping  with  the  relation  between  Moses  and  himself  (v. 
16).  It  is  also  an  example  of  the  rule  that  a  man  is  said  to 
do  what  another  does  in  his  stead  and  by  his  authority  (v.  1 7). 
Bowed  themselves  down.  Bent  their  bodies  as  well  as  their 
heads  in  reverence  before  God.  So  far  all  went  well  with 
Moses.  His  brother  entered  heartily  into  his  mission,  and 
the  people  acknowledged  him  as  the  messenger  of  God. 


IV.    MOSES  ENCOURAGED  IN  HIS  OFFICE,  EX.  V.,  VI. 
CHAP.  V.    MOSES  APPEARS  BEFORE  PHAROH, 

3.  ^"^i??.  This  form  here  signifies  to  meet  with,  as  the  verb 
does  in  several  places  (Gen.  xlii.  4. ;  xlix.  1,  and  always  in 
the  form  J^^li?"?),  and  as  the  context  proves  (iii.  18).  nnj? 
is  the  more  usual  form  of  the  verb  with  this  meaning. 

6.  "it?b'  y^afj./Marsug  a  scribe,  prefect,  officer,  employed  in 
duties  involving  the  keeping  of  accounts,  lists,  and  other 
records. 

And  afterward  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  and  said  unto  Pharoh, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  Let  my  people  go  and  hold  a 
feast  unto  me  in  the  wilderness.  2.  And  Pharoh  said,  Who  is  the 
Lord,  that  I  should  hearken  to  his  voice  to  let  Israel  go  ?  I  know 
not  the  Lord,  neither  will  I  let  Israel  go.  3  And  they  said.  The  God 
of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  with  us  :  let  us  go  now  three  da'/s'  journey 


EXODUS  V.  47 

into  the  Avildomess,  and  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord  our  Cod ;  lest  he  fall 
ujwn  us  with  pestilence,  or  with  the  sword.  4  And  the  king  of 
IMizraim  said  unto  them,  Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and  Aaron,  loose 
the  people  from  their  works  1  Get  you  to  your  hurdens.  5  And 
Pharoh  said,  Lo,  the  people  of  the  land  are  now  many,  and  ye  make 
them  rest  from  their  burdens. 

6  And  Pharoh  conimandod  that  day  the  taskmasters  over  tho 
people  and  their  officers,  saying,  7  Ye  shall  not  continue  to  give  straw 
to  the  people  to  make  biick,  as  heretofore ;  let  them  go  and  gather 
straw  for  themselves.  8  And  the  tale  of  the  bricks,  which  they  made 
heretofore,  ye  shall  lay  upon  them,  ye  shall  not  take  from  it  :  for  they 
are  idle  ;  therefore  they  cry,  saying,  Let  us  go  sacrifice  to  our  God. 
9  Let  the  service  be  heavy  on  tho  men,  and  let  them  work  therein ; 
and  let  them  not  regard  vain  words.  10  Then  went  out  the  task- 
masters of  the  people  and  their  officers,  and  spake  unto  the  people, 
saying,  Thus  saith  Pharoh,  I  will  not  give  you  straw.  11  Go  yo 
yourselves,  get  you  straw  where  ye  can  find  it ;  for  not  ought  of  your 
service  shall  be  taken  off. 

12  And  the  people  were  scattered  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Mizraim,  to  gather  stubble  for  straw,  13  And  the  taskmasters 
hasted  them,  saying,  Fulfil  your  works,  the  daily  task,  as  when  there 
was  straw.  14.  And  the  officers  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  whom  Pharoh's 
taskmasters  had  set  over  them,  were  beaten,  while  it  was  said.  Why 
have  ye  not  fulfilled  your  task  in  making  brick,  as  heretofore,  both 
yesterday  and  to-day  1  15  And  the  officers  of  the  sons  of  Israel  went 
in  and  cried  unto  Pharoh,  saying,  Why  dealest  thou  thus  with  thy 
servants  1  1 6  No  straw  is  given  unto  thy  servants,  and  they  say  to 
us,  !Make  brick  :  and  behold  thy  servants  are  beaten,  and  it  is  the 
fault  of  thy  people.  1 7.  And  he  said,  Ye  are  idle,  ye  are  idle  ;  there- 
fore ye  say,  Let  us  go  sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  18  And  now  go,  work  : 
and  no  straw  shall  be  given  you,  and  the  tale  of  bricks  ye  shall 
deliver. 

19  And  the  officers  of  the  sons  of  Israel  saw  that  they  were  in  evil 
case,  when  it  was  said,  Ye  shall  not  take  off  from  the  daily  task  of  your 
bricks.  20  And  they  met  !Moses  and  Aaron  standing  in  the  way  as 
they  came  out  from  Pharoh.  21  And  they  said  unto  them.  The 
Lord  look  upon  you  and  judge ;  because  ye  have  made  our  savour  to 
stink  in  the  eyes  of  Pharoh  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  servants,  to  put  a 
sword  in  their  hand  to  slay  us.  22  And  Closes  returned  unto  the 
Lord  and  said,  Lord,  wherefore  hast  thou  done  evil  to  this  people  ? 
AVhy  is  this,  that  thou  hast  sent  me  1  23  And  since  I  went  in  to  Pharoh 
to  speak  in  thy  name,  he  hath  done  evil  to  this  people  ;  neither  bust 
thou  delivered  thy  people  at  all. 


48  MOSES  APPEARS  BEFORE  PHAROH. 

In  further  prosecution  of  their  mission,  Moses  and  Aaron 
now  present  themselves  before  Pharoh.  But  they  are  dis- 
missed with  contempt,  and  new  hardships  are  imposed  on  the 
people  and  their  officers.  Moses  returns  to  God  disappointed 
and  complaining. 

Y.  1-5.  The  request  made  by  Moses  is  contemptuously  re- 
fused by  Pharoh.  And  afteriuard.  After  the  people  had 
accepted  his  authority,  Moses  was  prepared  to  go  before 
Pharoh,  Moses  and  Aaron,  accompanied,  no  doubt,  by  the 
representatives  of  the  people  (iii.  18).  Thus  saith  Jehovah, 
the  God  of  Israel.  Jehovah  was  the  God  of  Adam  (Gen.  ii. 
7,  16),  the  God  of  Noah  (Gen.  vi.  8,  viii.  20,  21),  and  conse- 
quently of  the  whole  race  descended  from  him.  He  is  here 
called  the  God  of  Israel,  not  as  if  he  were  one  among  the 
national  gods,  but  because  the  other  nations  have  corrupted 
the  notion  and  worship  of  God,  and  because  he  has  entered 
into  a  covenant  of  grace  with  Israel.  Let  ony  i^eople  go.  The 
request  is  peremptory,  because  it  comes  directly  from  God 
himself  And  hold  a  feast  unto  me  in  the  wilderness.  To 
hold  a  feast  is  the  immediate  object  of  the  journey.  This  is 
according  to  the  divine  manner  of  teaching.  God  promises  a 
present  seed ;  but  there  is  a  future  seed  :  a  good  land ;  but 
there  is  a  better  country :  an  earthly  rest,  beyond  which  there 
is  a  heavenly  rest.  He  speaks  to  men  of  the  near  and  the 
obvious,  and  those  who  hear  he  leads  on  to  higher  powers  of 
understanding  and  nobler  scenes  of  enjoyment.  Besides 
Pharoh  was  not  entitled  to  know,  and  he  does  not  condescend 
to  ask,  what  were  the  ulterior  purposes  of  God.  In  the  wil- 
derness  simply  means  out  of  Egypt,  beyond  the  jurisdiction 
of  its  sovereign,  and  the  interference  of  its  people.  A  seques- 
tered scene  was  often  selected  by  ancient  taste  for  a  solemn 
festival,  v.  2.  7  hnoiv  not  the  Lord.  Jehovah,  the  God  of 
Israel,  was  not  unknown  to  the  predecessors  of  Pharoh  (Gen. 
xii.  17,  41,  xliii.  23).  He  could  scarcely  be  ignorant  that  the 
Israelites  had  a  God.  But  the  import  of  the  name  here  em- 
ployed may  have  been  unknown  to  him,  and  at  all  events  he 
refuses  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  Jehovah.  Their  reply 
is  explanatory.  Tlte  God  of  the  Hehi'ews,  of  which  well-known 
nation  (Gen.  x.  21,  xiv.  13,  xli.  15,  xli.  1  2)  the  Israelites  were 
a  branch  (i.  15-19),  is  he  whose  name  is  Jehovah.     Hath  met 


EXODUS  V.  1-5.  49 

with  us,  has  revealed  himself  to  us  in  the  miracles  wrouffht  in 
our  presence,  and  the  message  communicated  to  us  by  Aloscs. 
Three  days  journey.  See  on  iii.  18.  Lest  he  fall  on  us  ivllk 
pestilence  or  with  the  sivord.  The  sword  is  under  the  control 
of  Providence  as  well  as  the  pestilence.  This  is  added  to 
bring  out  clearly  the  necessity  of  their  departure.  Pharoli 
will  gain  nothing  by  withholding  his  permission,  as  these  Ijond 
slaves,  whom  he  values  so  much,  may  be  destroyed  by  a  stroke 
from  heaven,  from  which  even  his  own  subjects  might  not 
escape.  There  is  a  clear  and  unavoidable  obligation,  there- 
fore, on  the  Israelites  to  make  this  demand.  It  dawns  upon 
the  mind  of  Pharoh  that  this  departure  involves  the  emanci- 
pation and  independence  of  the  Israelites.  But  he  will  not 
ask  the  question,  or  entertain  the  thought.  He  treats  their 
demands  with  a  haughty  impatience.  Get  you  to  your  bur- 
dens. This  is  meant  for  the  representatives  of  the  people,  as 
the  former  part  of  his  reply  was  addressed  to  Moses  and  Aaron. 
V.  5.  The  iKople  of  the  land.  They^are  called  the  people  of  the 
land  with  reference  to  Goshen,  where  they  were  settled,  in  con- 
trast with  Pharoh  himself,  who  belonged  to  the  dominant  race, 
which  may  have  been  of  foreign  extraction,  or  because  they 
were  engaged  in  rural  occupations  (i.  14).  Are  now  many. 
They  are  already  so  numerous  as  to  endanger  the  state.  And 
ye  make  them  rest,  when  they  require  to  be  kept  down  in 
numbers  and  in  spirit  by  hard  and  constant  labour.  It  is 
evident  that  Pharoh  spurns  the  thought  of  letting  the  people 
go. 

V.  G-11.  He  determined  to  cinish  the  nascent  thoucfht  of 
freedom  in  the  very  bud.  That  day.  The  case  is  urgent, 
and  no  time  is  to  be  lost.  The  taskmasters.  The  Egyptian 
drivers,  who  had  the  management  of  the  servile  labour.  Their 
officers.  The  Shoterim  were  orderlies  or  managers  who  kept 
an  account  of  all  matters  that  came  under  their  charge.  They 
appear  to  have  been  pennanent  officials  in  the  state  of  Israel, 
as  Moses  makes  express  provision  for  their  continuance  (Deut. 
xvi.  18),  and  they  are  mentioned  on  various  occasions  in  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  people  (Num.  xi.  16,  Deut.  i.  15, 
Judg.  v.  1 4,  2  Chr.  xxvi.  1 1).  They  occupied  the  highest 
rank  among  the  people,  for  we  find  Moses  selecting  from 
among  them  members  of  the  original  Council  or  Sanhedrin  of 
Israel  (Num.  xi.  IG),  and  they  are  included  nmonfr  the  ronre- 

D 


60  MOSES  APPEAES  BEFORE  PHAROH. 

sentatives  of  the  people  in  the  public  assembly  (Dent.  xxix.  1 0). 
The  very  name  of  this  official  indicates  a  literary  people.  It 
is  judicious  in  a  despotic  sovereign,  governing  a  conquered  or 
enslaved  tribe,  to  avail  himself  of  certain  parts  of  the  political 
organization  which  they  have  adopted,  v.  7.  Straw.  Straw 
cut  into  small  pieces  was  mixed  with  the  clay,  apparently  to 
give  consistency  to  the  brick  until  it  was  baked  in  the  sun. 
The  sun-dried  bricks  of  Egypt  are  so  durable,  that  many  still 
remain  that  were  made  many  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era.  On  being  analysed  they  are  found  to  contain  a  portion 
of  straw.  The  tale  of  the  bricks.  The  same  quantity  of  bricks 
was  to  be  produced,  though  the  straw  had  to  be  gathered,  in 
addition  to  their  former  labours.  They  are  idle.  They  have 
not  enough  to  do,  and  so  they  have  time  to  think  about  free- 
dom. Let  thevi  work  therein,  be  busy,  fully  employed.  Vai^i 
words.  Pharoh  affects  to  regard  the  statement  that  their  God 
had  interposed  as  a  falsehood  invented  by  Moses  and  Aaron. 
V.  1  ] .  Go  ye,  for  no  other  will  any  more  supply  you.  For 
not  ought  of  your  service  shcdl  he  taken  off.  Therefore  bestir 
yourselves  to  find  the  straw. 

V.  12-18.  After  two  days  the  Shoterim  are  beaten,  because 
the  appointed  number  of  bricks  is  not  supplied  ;  and  on  com- 
plaining to  Pharoh,  obtain  no  redress,  v,  ]  3.  The  daily  task, 
the  rate  of  a  day  in  its  day.  v.  1 6.  And  it  is  the  fault  of  thy 
people,  who  do  not  supply  us  with  straw  as  formerly,  v.  17. 
Ye  are  idle,  Pharoh  has  no  new  answer  for  the  officers.  The 
intolerable  burden  he  will  not  remove. 

V,  19-23,  The  officers  reproach  Moses  and  Aaron  for  in- 
volving them  and  the  people  in  this  distress.  Moses,  deeply 
dejected,  makes  his  appeal  to  God.  v.  20.  They  came  upon, 
encountered  Moses  and  Aaron,  who  were  standing  in  the  way, 
probably  awaiting  the  issue  of  their  application  to  Pharoh. 
V.  21.  To  put  a  sword  in  their  hand  to  slay  us,  to  give  a 
gi'ound  of  offence,  provoking  Pharoh  to  such  measures  as  will 
end  in  the  destruction  of  the  people,  v.  22.  Moses  returned 
unto  the  Lord.  His  mission  to  Pharoh  has  entirely  failed. 
It  has  only  added  to  the  misery  of  the  people.  He  lays  this 
before  the  Lord  in  very  plain  terms.  The  chapter  is  abruptly 
closed -with  the  earnest  expostulation  of  Moses.  The  sombre 
picture  of  wretchedness  is  thus  left  to  make  its  full  impression 
on  the  mind. 


EXODUS  VI.  61 


VI;   MOSES  ENCOURAGED HIS  GENEALOGY. 

17.  "'J.?:'  Libni,  luhite.  r.  he  white.  *VP^  Sliiraei,  hearing. 
r.  hear. 

18.  Dpoy  'Amraiii,  binding,  r.  hind.  '^\}'^]  Jitshar,  oil.  r. 
shine.     ^^""^V  Uzziel,  Ood  my  strength. 

1 9.  ''^'no  Machli,  sickness,  r.  be  sioh.  ''^^  Mushi,  yielding. 
r.  yield. 

20.  *i3?i^  Jokebed,  glory  to  Jehovah. 

21.  nnp  Qorach,  /iai?.  r.  congeal,  i^l  Nepheg,  sprig,  r.  u. 
sprout.     ^?3t  Zikri,  remembixi7ice. 

22.  ^N'f'P  Misbael,  'it7<ois  tt'/ia^  GocZ  is  ?  |S>fx  Eltsaphan, 
GocZ  a  hiding-place.     ''"?np  Sithri,  Itiding-place. 

23.  y?*f^«  Elisheba*,  GocZ  is  my  oath,  ^nrtsj?  'Amminadab, 
bounteous  to  my  people,  p^na  Nacbshon,  serpentine,  ^^r 
Nadab,  bounteous.  ^^liT'^K  Abihu,  Ae  a  father.  *iTy?K  El'azar, 
Gof?  0.  /ic?29.     "'^ri^^  Itbamar,  where  the  palm. 

24.  1''i?S  Assir,  captive.  '^}P/^.  Elqanah,  gotten  from  God. 
tlps-ax  Abiasapb,  father  of  gathering. 

25.  ^^?'pl^  Puticl,  abided  of  God.  onrs  Pinccbas,  brazen 
mouth. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Now  shalt  tliou  see  wliat  I  will 
do  to  Pharoh :  for  by  a  strong  hand  shall  he  let  them  go,  and  by  a 
strong  hand  shall  he  drive  them  out  of  his  land.  14    §  §  §    2. 

2  And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  the  Lord. 

3  And  I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob  as  God 
Almighty  ;  but  by  my  name  Jehovah  Avas  I  not  kno^vn  to  them. 

4  And  I  have  also  established  my  covenant  with  them,  to  give  them 
the  land  of  Kenaan ;  the  land  of  their  sojournings  wherein  they  so- 
journed. 5  And  I  have  also  heard  the  groaning  of  the  sons  of  Israel, 
whom  Mizraim  keeps  in  bondage,  and  I  remembered  my  covenant. 
G  "Wherefore  say  unto  the  sons  of  Israel,  I  am  the  Lord,  and  I  will 
bring  you  out  from  under  the  burdens  of  Mizraim,  and  ileUver  you  out 
of  their  service ;  and  I  will  redeem  you  with  a  stretched-out  arm  and 
with  great  judgments.  7  And  I  will  take  you  to  me  for  a  people,  and 
I  will  be  to  you  a  God ;  aud  yc  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  your 
God,  who  bringeth  you  out  from  under  the  burdens  of  Mizraim.  8  And  I 


52  MOSES  ENCOUEAGED — HIS  GENEALOGY. 

"will  bring  you  into  the  land,  which  I  lifted  up  my  hand  to  give  to  Abra- 
ham, to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob ;  and  I  will  give  it  to  you  for  a  possession : 
I  am  the  Lord.  9  And  Moses  spake  so  unto  the  sons  of  Israel,  and 
they  hearkened  not  unto  Moses  from  anguish  of  spirit  and  from  hard 
service.  ^  6. 

10  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  11  Go  in,  speak  unto 
Pharoh  king  of  Mizraim,  that  he  let  the  sons  of  Israel  go  out  of  his 
land.  1 2  And  Moses  spake  before  the  Lord,  saying,  Behold,  the  sons 
of  Israel  have  not  hearkened  unto  me  ;  and  how  shall  Pharoh  hearken 
unto  me,  who  am  uncircumcised  of  lips  1  ^7. 

13  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  and  gave  them 
a  charge  unto  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  unto  Pharoh  king  of  Mizraim,  to 
bring  the  sons  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  §  3. 

14  These  are  the  heads  of  their  fathers'  houses:  the  sons  of  Eeuben, 
the  first-born  of  Israel ;  Henok,  and  Pallu,  Ilezron  and  Karmi ;  these 
are  the  families  of  Eeuben.  15  And  the  sons  of  Simon  ;  Jemuel,  and 
Jamin,  and  Ohad,  and  Jakin,  and  Zohar,  and  Saul,  the  son  of  a 
Kenaanitess  ;  these  are  the  families  of  Simon.  16  And  these  are  tlie 
names  of  the  sons  of  Levi,  according  to  their  generations ;  Gershon, 
and  Kohath,  and  Merari.  And  the  years  of  the  life  of  Levi  were  seven 
and  thirty  and  a  hundred  years.  17  The  sons  of  Gershon ;  Libni  and 
Shimi,  according  to  their  families.  18  And  the  sons  of  Kohath;  Am- 
ram,  and  Izhar,  and  Hebron,  and  Uzziel.  And  the  years  of  the  hfe  of 
Kohath  were  three  and  thirty  and  a  hundred  years.  1 9  And  the  sons 
of  Merari ;  Mahli  and  Mushi.  These  are  the  families  of  Levi  accord- 
ing to  their  generations.  20  And  Amram  took  him  Jokebed  his  aunt 
to  wife,  and  she  bare  him  Aaron  and  Moses.  And  the  years  of  the  life 
of  Amram  were  seven  and  thirty  and  a  hundred  years.  21  And  the 
sons  of  Izhar ;  Korah,  and  IS'epheg,  and  Zikri.  22  And  the  sons  of 
Uzziel ;  Mishael,  and  Elzaphan,  and  Sithri.  23  And  Aaron  took 
Elisheba,  daughter  of  Amminadab,  sister  of  Nahshon,  to  wife ;  and  she 
bare  him  Nadab  and  Abihu,  Eleazar  and  Ithamar.  24  And  the  sons  of 
Korah ;  Assir  and  Elkanah  and  Abiasaph,  These  are  the  families  of 
the  Korhites.  25  And  Eleazar,  Aaron's  son,  took  him  a  wife  of  the 
daughters  of  Putiel ;  and  she  bare  him  Phinehas.  These  are  the  heads 
of  the  fathers  of  the  Levites,  according  to  their  families.  26  These  are 
the  Aaron  and  Moses,  to  whom  the  Lord  had  said.  Bring  out  the  sons 
of  Israel  from  the  land  of  Mizraim  according  to  their  hosts.  27  These 
are  they  who  spake  to  Pharoh  king  of  Mizraim,  to  bring  out  the  sons 
of  Israel  from  Mizraim.  These  are  the  Moses  and  Aaron.  28  And  it 
was  in  the  day  when  the  Lord  s^^ake  unto  Moses  in.  the  land  of 
Mizraim.  §  4. 

29  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  I  am  the  Lord:  speak 


EXODUS  VI.  1-9.  53 

unto  Pharoli  king  of  !Mizraim,  all  that  I  spoak  unto  thoc.  30  And 
Moses  sauI  before  the  Lord,  IJehold,  I  am  unciicuniciseJ  of  lips,  and 
how  shall  Pharoli  hearken  unto  me  1  ^8. 

The  dejected  Moses  is  reassured  by  a  new  assertion  and 
exposition  of  the  actual  presence  of  God  to  perform  His  pro- 
mise to  Plis  people  (v.  1-13).  The  pedigree  of  Moses,  and 
Aaron,  and  others  wlio  are  to  figure  in  the  future  scene  is  now 
given,  preparatory  to  the  commencement  of  Israel's  deliver- 
ance (v.  14-30). 

V.  1.  The  Lord's  reply  is  directed  not  to  the  complaint  of 
IMoscs,  of  which  He  takes  no  notice,  but  to  the  contemptuous 
refusal  with  which  Pharoli  had  met  his  rightful  demand. 
To  receive  a  message  from  his  Maker  was  au  unspeakable 
honour.  Even  if  he  suspected  the  message  to  be  a  pretence, 
yet  reverence  for  Him  in  whose  name  the  bearers  of  it  pro- 
fessed to  come  should  have  led  to  the  most  cautious  inquiry 
before  he  replied.  He  was  not  to  act  upon  a  surmise  in  any 
case,  much  less  in  a  case  of  such  moment.  Noiv.  In  the 
very  height  of  Pharoh's  arrogance  and  oppression,  and  in  the 
depth  of  the  people's  anguisli  and  despair,  will  the  Lord 
a])pear.  By  a  strong  hand  (iii.  ]  9).  By  the  hand  of  the 
Almighty  inflicting  stroke  upon  stroke  until  the  spirit  of 
Pharoh  is  broken.  Thus  will  he  be  constrained  not  only  to 
give  them  leave,  but  even  to  drive  them  out  of  his  land. 
The  second,  "  by  a  strong  hand,"  for  which  the  Sept.  has  "  by 
a  high  arm "  {sv  Zpayjmi  {j-\>r,\Cj),  is  emphatic.  The  Sabbath 
lesson  of  the  synagogue  terminates  here,  after  having  given 
relief  to  the  anxiety  of  the  hearer  by  a  new  promise  of  God. 

V.  2-9.  The  reassurance  of  the  preceding  communication  is 
now  sustained  by  a  recun'ence  to  the  cheering  import  of  the 
name  Jehovah,  and  a  recapitulation  of  all  the  old  promises 
to  the  patriarchs.  And  God  spake.  The  Everla.sting  and 
Unchangeable  One  sj)ake.  /  am  the  Lord,  Jehovah.  The 
Real,  the  Self-existent,  the  Author  of  all  other  existence, 
manifesting  my  being  by  my  presence  in  and  power  over 
nature  for  the  performance  of  my  long-revealed  purpose. 
This  is  a  name  of  power  and  hope  to  cheer  the  darkest  heart. 
v.  3.  As  God,  Almifjlity.  Tlie-name  Jehovah  waa  made 
known  to  Adam  by  the  stupendous  works  of  the  six  days 


54  MOSES  ENCOURAGED  —HIS  GENEALOGY. 

creation,  which  were  unfolded  in  all  their  finished  beauty  and 
grandeur  before  his  outward  eyes  and  inmost  soul  (Gen.  ii.  4, 
]  6,  22,  iv.  1).  It  was  also  revealed  to  Noah  in  the  preser- 
vation of  his  own  family,  and  the  destruction  of  the  old  world 
by  a  flood,  which  were  to  the  Most  High  but  the  waving  of 
His  hand,  though  to  man  they  were  the  majestic  doings  of 
Jehovah.  But  in  the  matter  of  the  promise  made  to  Abra- 
ham and  his  seed  of  a  land  of  habitation,  He  was  known  to 
them  yet  only  as  a  promiser,  not  yet  as  a  performer.  Hence 
He  appeared  to  them  as  El  Shaddai  (Gen.  xvii.  1),  God 
Almighty,  a  name  expressly  fitted  to  awaken  and  warrant 
faith  in  a  promise,  inasmuch  as  it  points  to  the  attributes  of 
unchangeableness  and  omnipotence,  which  are  the  guarantees 
of  its  ultimate  fulfilment.  But  by  my  name  Jeltovali  was  I 
not  known  to  them.  As  the  performer  of  promise,  the  giver 
of  existence  to  that  purpose  which  He  had  expressed.  He  was 
not  known,  personally  and  practically  known  to  them.  By 
the  voice  of  history,  by  the  records  of  the  wondrous  past,  they 
were  aware  that  He  was  the  Lord,  and  this  name  was  often 
actually,  on  their  lips  (Gen.  xii.  1,  7,  8,  xiv.  22,  xv.  2,  6, 
xvii.  1,  xviii.  27,  xxi.  33,  xxii.  14,  xxv.  21,  xxviii.  13,  16, 
21).  But  in  their  own  experience,  and  in  the  matter  of  the 
special  revelation  made  to  them,  and  only  now  to  be  realised. 
He  was  not  known  to  them  as  JehovaTi  the  agent,  but  only 
as  El  Shaddai  the  potent.  To  know  by  personal  observation, 
is  the  primitive  meaning  of  the  verb  V^l  "  know."  This  is 
evinced  by  the  use  of  the  perfect  "  I  have  perceived,"  to 
denote  what  we  express  by  "  I  know,"  like  novi,  o7ha,  by  the 
contrast  of  knowing  with  hearing,  in  such  sentences  as  NPn 
^mn  i6  m  irtn  (is.  xl.  21),  and  by  the  frequent  occurrence 
of  the  verb  in  this  particular  meaning  (Gen.  iii.  5,  7,  22, 
xviii.  21,  xxii.  12,  Ex.  v.  2).  That  "name"  denotes  the 
nature,  the  import  of  the  name,  the  being  to  whom  belongs 
the  attribute  signalised  in  the  name,  cannot  be  unknown  to 
the  attentive  reader  of  the  Bible.  (See  on  Gen.  i.  5,  ii.  23, 
iii.  20,  xxvii.  36,  Ex.  iii.  13).  The  meaning  thus  assigned 
to  the  important  verse  before  us  is,  therefore,  agreeable  to  the 
usage  of  Scripture.  It  vindicates  the  veracity  and  consis- 
tency of  the  sacred  historian.     And  it  is  singularly  pertinent 


EXODUS  VI.  10-12. 

to  the  context  in  which  it  occurs.  It  affords  .also  a  remark- 
able illustration  of  the  custom  exemplified  in  the  names  Bethel 
(Gen.  xii.  8),  Dan  (Gen,  xiv.  14),  Jacob  and  Esau  (Gen.  xxv. 
80),  according  to  which  a  former  name  is  renewed  and  perpet- 
uated by  a  new  occasion  occurring  for  its  application. 

V.  4,  5.  These  verses  are  a  recapitulation  of  the  past. 
V.  6-8.  The  promise  now  to  be  realised.  Say  unto  the  sons 
of  Israel,  I  am  the  Lord.  This  is  henceforth  to  be  the  word 
of  encouragement,  of  authority,  and  of  fellowship  to  Israel. 
It  reminds  them  that  God  is  now  active  on  their  behalf;  that 
it  is  God  who  is  thus  active,  and  that  He  is  present  to  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  them  as  a  father  among  His  adopted  children. 
It  guarantees  the  following  promise.  A  strefchcd-out  arm^Ahold 
figure  for  the  strenuous  interposition  of  Jehovah.  Take  you 
to  me  for  a  p^oiAe.  This  is  a  winning  and  persuasive  argu- 
ment to  a  down-trodden  people.  Ye  shall  hnow  that  I  am 
the  Lord.  They  shall  know  by  actual  experience  that  He  is 
all  that  is  implied  in  the  name  Jehovah,  an  actual  and  there- 
fore tried  deliverer.  /  lifted  up  my  hand  (Gen.  xiv.  22),  I 
sware,  by  lifting  up  in  solemn  appeal  to  God  as  a  witness,  the 
liand,  the  emblem  of  power  to  perform  what  is  sworn;  The 
phrase  is  transferred  with  a  singular  emphasis  from  the 
human  gestui'e  to  the  divine  asseveration.  I  am  the  Lord. 
This  sentence  is  here  repeated  for  the  third  time  in  this  mes- 
sage, enhanced  by  all  the  emphasis  which  the  distinction  made 
between  the  divine  names  (v.  3)  has  added  to  its  meaning. 
It  is  the  seal  of  God  thrice  stamped  upon  His  promise,  v.  9. 
Notwithstanding  the  cheering  eflfect  of  this  new  communica- 
tion on  Moses,  the  people  were  so  heart-broken  that  they 
hearkened  not  to  the  comfortable  words  with  which  he 
addressed  them. 

v.  10-12.  With  a  heafvy  heart  and  sorely  wounded  spirit 
Moses  must  have  turned  from  the  people.  Yet  the  Lord 
directs  him  to  go  again  to  Pharoh.  Moses  pleads  his  want  of 
persuasive  power.  If  his  own  people  have  not  hearkened 
unto  him,  how  will  Pharoh  hearken  ?  Uncircumcised  of  lips. 
Circumcision  is  the  sign  of  a  renewal  of  nature.  The  uncir- 
cumcised is,  therefore,  by  a  natural  figure,  one  who  is  still  in 
the  bondage  of  a  con-upt  heart,  and  incapable  of  holy  doings. 
By  a  further  turn  of  the  metaphor,  he  is  uncii'cumcised  of 


THE  GENEALOGY  OF  MOSES. 

lips  who  is  incompetent  to  speak  in  a  manner  fitted  to  pro- 
duce conviction  and  compliance. 

V.  1 3.  It  is  here  stated  in  summary  terms  that  the  Lord 
now  gave  a  joint  command  or  peremptory  charge  to  Moses 
and  Aaron,  unto,  that  is,  to  go  unto  the  sons  of  Israel  and 
unto  Pharoh,  and  to  bring  Israel  out  of  Egypt.  Aaron  is 
joined  in  the  commission  as  before,  to  obviate  the  difficulty  of 
Moses  about  his  failure  to  ])ersuade  the  people.  The  last 
symptom  of  reluctance  on  the  part  of  Moses  has  now  been 
overruled,  and  at  this  point  the  historian  is  conscious  that 
it  is  due  to  the  leaders  of  this  great  movement,  and  to  the 
ends  of  history,  to  give  an  account  of  the  relation  in  which 
Moses  and  Aaron,  and  some  of  their  kindred,  who  take  a 
part  in  the  following  transactions,  stand  to  the  other  and 
especially  the  elder  branches  of  the  now  great  family  of  Israel. 
This  is  the  very  moment  for  introducing  this  statement,  as 
these  ministers  of  the  Lord  are  on  the  eve  of  entering,  with- 
out any  more  faltering,  on  the  momentous  conflict  between 
the  powers  of  light  and  darkness,  which  is  to  end  in  the 
deliverance  of  the  children  of  Israel.  Hence,  after  the  sum- 
mary notice  of  the  positive  command  now  laid  upon  Moses 
and  Aaron,  the  genealogical  notice  is  inserted. 

v.  14-28.  The  narrative  here  reverts  to  a  point  of  time 
long  passed  in  the  general  course  of  events  related.  These  are 
the  heads  of  their  fathers'  houses.  The  twelve  tribes  (Ci''tp^t^ 
or  nitSD)  of  Israel  were  now  divided,  each  into  families 
/n'lns^'p),  and  the  families  into  fathers'  houses  (p^  i^%  in  the 
plural  n'l3X  n-n).  It  is  evident  that  in  a  nation  that  had  a 
set  of  officers  whose  business  it  was  to  keep  written  accounts 
of  all  matters  coming  under  their  charge,  we  may  expect  to 
find  genealogical  lists  kept  with  care  and  accuracy.  Moses, 
therefore,  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  register  of  his 
family.  In  quoting  from  the  public  records,  it  was  both  re- 
spectful to  the  two  elder  tribes  and  essential  to  a  clear  state- 
ment of  the  relative  position  of  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the 
nation  to  give  at  least  the  families  contained  in  these  tribes. 
Then  follow  what  are,  strictly  speaking,  their,  that  is,  Moses 
and  Aaron's  fathers'  houses.  The  ages  of  Levi,  Kohath,  and 
Amram,  the  lineal  ancestors  of  the  leadersof  the  people,  are  given. 
The  second  son  of  Levi  is  the  father  of  Amram.    And  Amram, 


EXODUS  VI.  29,  30.  57 

tool-  hhn  Jokchcd  his  aunt  to  wife  (see  on  ii.  l).  "\Vc  are 
here  brought  to  the  parents  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  v.  21. 
Tlie  sons  of  Izhar  are  introduced  on  account  of  Korah,  who 
afterwards  comes  to  a  bad  pre-eminence  (Num.  xvi.).  v.  22. 
The  sons  of  Uzziel  are  mentioned,  because  they  also  recur  in  the 
narrative  (Lev.  x.  4).  v.  23.  Elisheba,  sister  of  Nahshou, 
was  the  fifth  (inclusive)  in  descent  from  Ju(hil»  ;  while  Aaron 
was  only  the  fourth  from  Levi  by  his  father's  side,  and  the 
third  by  his  mother's.  This  prepares  us  to  expect  great  dis- 
parity in  the  number  of  generations  in  different  lines.  Aaron's 
sons  will  meet  us  in  the  narrative  hereafter,  v.  24.  The 
sons  of  Korah  were  the  survivors  of  their  father,  and  became 
heads  of  fomilies  (Num.  xxvi.  11).  v.  25.  Of  Putiel  we  know 
nothing  farther.  Phinehas  is  the  sixth  (inclusive)  in  descent 
from  Levi,  and  the  seventh  from  Judah.  v.  20-28.  These 
are  the  Aaron  and  Moses.  The  design  of  the  preced- 
ing paragraph  was  to  explain  who  Aaron  and  !Moses  were. 
They  stand  here  in  the  order  of  seniority.  At  the  end  of  the 
next  verse  they  are  placed  in  the  order  of  rank.  To  ivhom 
the  Lord  had  said.  This  refers  to  the  commission  he  had 
given  to  them  before  their  first  interview  with  Pharoli.  These 
are  they  who  spake  to  Pharoh  in  the  first  interview,  which  is 
recorded  in  the  fifth  chapter.  And  it  was  in  the  day.  This 
was  the  state  of  things  at  the  time.  This  verse  seems 
designed  to  date  the  time  when  the  conjunction  of  circum- 
stances described  in  the  preceding  passage  regai'ding  the 
fjimily  of  Moses  had  taken  place.  In  accordance  with  this, 
the  closed  section  of  the  Masoretic  text  terminates  with  this 
verse.  The  connection  of  such  a  sentence  wdth  the  preceding 
context  is  unusual ;  but  it  occurs  in  other  instances  (Deut.  ii. 
IG;  Zek.  vi.  15).  The  phrase  W?  it  came  to  pass,  simply 
indicates  a  point  of  time  at  which  a  preceding  period  termin- 
ates, and  the  following  one  begins.  The  prominent  reference 
is  usually  to  the  latter ;  but  it  may  be  to  the  former  (Gen.  i. 
7,  D,  11,  15,  24,  30).  Sometimes  the  reference  maybe  equal 
to  both  (Gen.  iv.  8). 

V.  29,  30.  These  verses  contain  a  recapitulation  of  verses 
1 0-1 2,  and  therefore  bring  us  up,  in  point  of  time,  to  the  be- 
ginning of  verse  13,  which  is  itself  a  summary  of  what  is 
given  in  detail  in   the  beginning  of  the  next  chapter.     The 


58  THE  GENEALOGY  OF  MOSES. 

first  seven  verses  of  the  seventh  chapter  might  accordingly  be 
regarded  as  the  continuation  of  the  sixth.  But  in'  the  exist- 
ing arrangement  they  form  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the 
record  of  those  ten  strokes  of  judgments  by  which  the  resist- 
ance of  Egypt  was  broken,  and  the  way  at  length  opened  for 
the  departure  of  Israel. 

We  have  now  perused  the  record  of  Israel's  servitude  in 
Egypt.  It  runs  parallel  with  the  early  part  of  the  life  of 
the  deliverer,  or  more  precisely  of  Aaron,  his  senior  by  three 
years.  It  commences  probably  with  a  new  dynasty  in  Egypt, 
at  a  time  when  the  increase  of  the  people  was  so  marked,  as 
to  become  alarming  to  a  sovereign  not  very  firmly  seated  on 
the  throne,  and  exposed  to  the  hostility  of  neighbouring 
powers.  His  policy,  though  it  does  not  keep  down  the 
population,  makes  him  aware  of  their  value  as  servile 
labourers.  He  therefore  persists  in  his  arbitrary  course 
until  the  cry  of  the  oppressed  people  reaches  heaven.  The 
deliverer  now  appears,  but  his  approach  to  the  monarch  is 
only  the  signal  for  a  new  outburst  of  violence  and  oppres- 
sion. This  casts  the  last  shade  of  gloom  and  despondency 
over  the  scene. 


SECTION  II.— THE  TEN  PLAGUES. 

v.  the  first  three  plagues. exod.  vii  ;  viii.  0. 

Chap.  vii.  water  changed  into  blood. 


9.  T^^.  long  creature,  sea-monster,  serpent,  dragon.  It 
sometimes  denotes  the  crocodile,  Isaiah  xxvii.  1  ;  li.  9.  The 
Sept.  give  dpuy.uv,  which  we  have  retained  to  distinguisli  it 
from  ti*n3  seiyent,  which  is  a  species  of  the  more  general 
terra  T^-  Tlie  crocodile  might  be  included  under  either. 
But  the  asp  or  basilisk  is  more  probable,  though  the  term 
employed  is  perhaps  designedly  general. 

11.  flU'^p  sorcerer,  magician,  enchanter,  one  who  practises 
hidden  or  black  arts,  r.  hide.  These  arts  are  called  D"'pn^=  Q^u? 
enchantments,  from  L3n!?  =  t:p  to  hide.  Whether  these  arts 
were  due  to  the  light  of  experience  or  the  powers  of  daikness, 
we  have  not  the  means  of  determining. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mqscs.  See,  I  have  made  thee  a  god 
unto  Pharoh  ;  and  Aaron  thy  brother  shall  be  thy  proi^het.  2  Tliou 
shalt  speak  all  that  I  conuuand  thee  :  and  Aaron  tliy  brother  shall 
speak  unto  Pharoh,  tliat  he  send  the  sons  of  Israel  out  of  his  land. 
3  And  I  will  harden  Pharoh 's  heart ;  and  multiply  my  signs  and  my 
wonders  in  tlie  land  of  !Mizraim.  4.  And  Pharoh  will  not  licarken 
unto  you,  and  I  will  lay  my  hand  upon  Mizraim  :  and  I  will  hrijig 
forth  my  hosts,  my  people,  the  sons  of  Israel,  out  of  the  land  of 
Mizraim  by  great  judgments.  5  And  ^Mizraim  shall  know  that  I  am 
the  Lord,  when  I  stretch  forth  my  hand  upon  ^lizraim,  and  bring  out 
the  sons  of  Israel  from  among  them.  G  Aiid  thus  did  !Moses  and 
Aaron  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  them  so  did  they.  7  And  Closes  was 
eighty  years  old,  and  Aaron  three  and  eighty  yeai-s  old,  when  they 
spake  unto  Pharoh. 

8  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron  saying.     9 


60  THE  FIRST  PLAGUE. 

Wlien  Pharoli  shall  speak  unto  you,  saying,  show  for  you  a  miracle  ; 
then  thou  shalt  say  unto  Aaron,  Take  thy  rod  and  cast  it  before 
Pharoh  ;  let  it  become  a  dragon.  10  And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in 
unto  Pharoh,  and  did  so  as  the  Lord  had  commanded  ;  and  Aaron  cast 
clown  his  rod  before  Pharoh  and  before  his  servants,  and  it  became  a 
dragon.  1 1  And  Pharoh  also  called  the  sages  and  the  sorcerers  ;  and 
the  scribes  of  Mizraim,  they  also  did  so  with  their  enchantments. 
12  And  they  cast  down  every  man  his  rod,  and  they  became  dragons  : 
and  Aaron's  rod  swallowed  up  their  rods.  13  And  Pharoh's  heart 
was  hardened,  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them  ;  as  the  Lord  had 
spoken.  §  5 

14  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Pharoh's  heart  is  hard ;  he 
refuseth  to  let  the  people  go.  15  Go  unto  Pharoh  in  the  morning  ; 
lo,  he  goeth  out  unto  the  water,  and  thou  shalt  stand  to  meet  him  at 
the  river's  brink  :  and  the  rod  which  was  turned  to  a  serpent  shalt 
thou  take  in  thy  hand.  16  And  thou  shalt  say  unto  him,  The  Lord, 
the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  hath  sent  me  unto  thee  to  say,  Let  my  people 
go  and  serve  me  in  the  wilderness ;  and  behold  thou  hast  not  hearkened 
hitherto.  17  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  this  thou  shalt  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  ;  behold  I  smite  with  the  rod  that  is  in  my  hand  upon 
the  water  which  is  in  the  river,  and  it  shall  be  turned  into  blood. 
18  And  the  fish  that  is  in  the  river  shall  die,  and  the  river  shall  stink ; 
and  Mizraim  shall  loathe  to  drink  the  water  of  the  river.  §  6. 

19  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Take  thy  rod 
and  stretch  out  thy  hand  upon  the  waters  of  Mizraim,  upon  their  rivers? 
upon  their  streams,  and  upon  their  ponds,  and  upon  every  pool  of  their 
waters,  and  they  shall  become  blood  :  and  there  shall  be  blood  in  all 
the  land  of  Mizraim,  both  in  wood  and  in  stone.  20  And  Moses  and 
Aaron  did  so  as  the  Lord  commanded. ;  and  he  lifted  wp  the  rod  and 
emote  the  water  that  was  in  the  river  in  the  eyes  of  Pharoh  and  in  the 
eyes  of  his  servants  :  and  all  the  water  that  was  in  the  river  was  turned 
into  blood.  21  And  the  fish  that  was  in  the  river  died,  and  the  river 
stank,  and  Mizraim  could  not  drink  water  from  the  river  :  and  the  blood 
was  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  22  And  the  scribes  of  Mizraim  did 
so  with  their  enchantments  :  and  Pharoh's  heart  was  hardened,  neither 
did  he  hearken  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken.  23  And  Pharoh 
turned  and  went  into  his  house,  neither  did  he  set  his  heart  even  to 
this.  24  And  all  Mizraim  digged  round  about  the  river  for  water  to 
drink  :  for  they  could  not  drink  of  the  water  of  the  river.  25  And 
seven  days  were  fulfilled,  after  the  Lord  had  smitten  the  river.     Tj  10. 

The  problem  to  be  solved  in  this  section  is  the  deliverance 
of  a  family  now  grown  into  a  nation,  who  have  been  unjustly 


EXODUS  VII.  G  1 

reduced  to  a  state  of  servitude,  from  a  liaughty  despot  who 
finds  his  advantage  in  retaining  them  by  force  in  his  service. 
Every  man,  we  have  no  doubt,  thinks  he  can  easily  solve  it ; 
and  the  solution  proposed  by  each  will  depend  very  much  on 
the  character  of  the  individual.  All  men  will  also,  we  con- 
ceive, acknowledge  that  the  omniscient  and  omnipotent  God 
could  accomplish  the  end  in  question  in  a  variety  of  ways 
conceivable  or  inconceivable  by  man.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  the  all-wise  God  can  and  will  work  this  problem  in  one 
way.  This  will  be  the  best  way.  He  only  knows  what  is 
the  best  way  for  all  ])arties.  He  has  respect  in  all  his  doings 
to  the  best  interests  of  his  rational  creatures.  This  consists 
in  the  perfection  and  culture  of  their  intellectual  and  moral 
nature,  as  the  only  solid  foundation  of  comi)lete  and  perpetual 
happiness.  His  method  of  procedure,  therefore,  will  be  ex- 
actly fitted  not  only  to  the  nature  of  man,  tlie  chief  rational 
party  concerned,  in  general,  but  to  the  stage  of  develoi)ment 
to  which  at  the  time  he  has  attained.  It  is  true  and  impor- 
tant in  one  sense  that  God  giveth  not  account  of  any  of  his 
matters  ;  but  it  is  equally  true  and  important  that  he  takes 
account  of  all  matters  whatsoever  in  all  his  proceedings. 
Hence  he  has  regard  to  Israel,  to  Egypt,  to  Kenjvm,  and  to 
the  whole  human  race  in  the  manner  in  which  he  meets  this 
great  emergency.  He  has  in  view  the  present  state  of  these 
parties,  and  adapts  his  measures  to  their  instruction  in  spiri- 
tual things  according  to  their  several  attainments  in  mental 
and  moral  truth.  The  result  of  the  divine  wisdom  is  the  best 
plan  of  delivering  Israel  from  Egypt,  which  is  accordingly 
carried  into  effect,  and  is  here  delineated  for  our  learninof. 
Let  us  enter  upon  the  study  of  it,  hoping  to  be  illuminated 
ourselves  with  many  rays  of  that  light  which  then  broke  upon 
the  minds  of  Israel  and  his  contemporaries. 

We  have  already  read  the  instructive  account  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  Moses  to  be  the  prime  minister  of  heaven  in  this 
great  movement,  and  the  deferential  respect  with  which  his 
credentials  have  been  received  by  the  people.  Accompanied 
with  the  elders  of  Israel,  he  has  approached  Pharoh  and  jire- 
sented  the  authoritative  message  of  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  requiring  him  to  let  Israel  go  and  keep  a  feast  to  the 
Lord.     In   these  facts  we   have  strikinir  instances  of  God's 


62  THE  FIRST  PLAGUE. 

manner  of  proceeding.  He  does  not  appoint  a  servant  with- 
out removing  all  bis  difficulties,  and  affording  him  the  fullest 
instructions.  He  does  not  take  a  step  in  the  emancipation  of 
the  people  without  obtaining  their  acceptance  of  the  leader  he 
has  chosen  and  their  concurrence  in  the  measures  he  has 
devised.  And,  notwithstanding  the  absence  of  all  equity  as 
well  as  gratitude  in  the  manner  in  which  the  Pharohs  had 
degraded  into  serfs  the  free  kinsmen  of  Joseph,  he  opens  the 
negociations  with  the  reigning  sovereign  by  a  simple  and 
moderately  worded,  yet  firm  and  frank  demand  of  the  release 
of  his  people  for  the  immediate  purpose  of  a  religious  festival. 
It  is  obvious  that  so  mild  a  request,  so  limited  in  its  terms, 
in  circumstances  of  so  grave  injustice,  coming  from  the  most 
high  God,  could  not  have  been  rejected  by  a  right-minded 
man.  Enquiries  might  have  been  made,  difficulties  started 
and  claims  advanced,  if  there  had  been  any ;  and  these  would 
have  been  all  reasonably  and  satisfactorily  met.  And  thus  a 
negociation  opened  with  forbearance  and  carried  on  with  equity 
would  have  terminated  in  a  peaceful  and  amicable  settlement. 
Such  is  the  beginning  of  God's  method  for  the  deliverance  of 
his  people  from  Egypt. 

But  upon  the  proud  and  arrogant  mind  of  Pharoh  this 
temperate  dealing  has  an  opposite  effect.  He  breaks  out  into 
instant  defiance  of  God,  contempt  of  his  ministers,  and  revenge 
upon  his  people.  His  heart,  practised  in  the  arts  of  tyranny, 
gains  a  new  degree  of  obstinacy  from  its  violent  recoil  against 
this  modest  and  seemingly  feeble  whisper  of  the  bond-slave's 
God.  With  unaffected  simplicity,  the  sacred  historian  records 
the  disastrous  consequences  of  Pharoh's  indignation  on  the 
people  and  their  officers,  and  the  sad  shock  it  gave  to  their 
infant  faith.  This  was,  no  doubt,  very  painful  to  endure  and 
pitiful  to  contemplate.  But  it  had  its  pregnant  and  salutary 
lessons,  and  he  who  has  looked  into  the  after  history  of  this 
people  will  be  persuaded  that  this  and  many  subsequent  cor- 
rectives were  absolutely  necessary  to  bring  them  to  that  depth 
of  piety,  strength  of  principle,  and  decision  of  character  which 
conferred  a  moral  dignity  on  the  nation,  the  traces  of  which 
are  still  to  be  found  in  the  remnant  of  Israel. 

Even  Moses  himself  is  disappointed  by  the  failure  of  his 
first  attempt,  and  distressed  by  the  anguish  and  despondency 


EXODUS  VII.  1-7.  63 

of  the  people.  Accordingly  the  Lord,  in  the  beginning  of  this 
chiipter,  opens  up  to  him  a  new  and  cheering  view  of  liis  rela- 
tion to  Pharoh,  and  sends  him  again  to  him  with  a  mira- 
culous authentication  of  his  missicm.  This  second  effort  of 
the  divine  forbearance  is  also  disregarded  by  the  infatuated 
king.  Only  on  the  third  appearance  of  Closes  before  Pharoh 
is  he  authorized  to  announce  and  inflict  the  first  j)lague  or 
stroke  of  judgment  upon  the  recusant  monarch. 

V.  1-7.  This  passage  is  the  expansion  of  v.  13  of  the  pre- 
vious chapter.  A  new  and  encouraging  view  of  his  relation 
to  Pharoh  is  here  presented  to  Moses,  inducing  him  to  enter 
with  a  willing;  and  intellijxent  interest  into  the  divine  mission 
with  which  he  has  been  entrusted.  A  God  unto  Pharoh. 
What  God  was  to  Moses  in  point  of  instruction,  that  Moses 
w\'us  to  be  to  Aaron  (iv.  1 G)  ;  and  what  God  was  to  liim  in 
respect  of  power,  that  he  was  now  to  be  to  Pharoh.  He  was 
to  be  the  revealer  of  the  divine  will  to  Aaron  ;  the  executor 
of  the  divine  will  on  Pharoh.  God  puts  his  servant  in  a  satis- 
ftictory  position  toward  the  adversary  he  has  to  encounter ; 
and  henceforth  he  proceeds  without  faltering  to  carry  out  the 
divine  intentions.  And  Aaron  shall  he  thy  'prophet.  A 
prophet  is  God's  spokesman,  uttering  a  message  or  a  prayer 
by  his  authority  (Gen.  xx.  7).  Such  is  Aaron  to  be  to  Moses, 
as  explained  in  the  following  verse.  The  plenipotentiary  of 
heaven  is  now  amply  furnished  for  his  great  undertaking. 
V.  3.  And  I  will  harden  Pharoh's  heart.  We  have  seen  the 
process  already  begun.  The  very  patience  and  moderation 
which  were  calculated  to  subdue  a  will  amenable  to  reason, 
only  aroused  the  resistance  and  vengeance  of  Pharoh.  Every 
succeeding  step  in  the  procedure  of  God  is  dictated  by  a  like 
consideration  and  forbearance.  Though  it  be  true,  therefore, 
that  God  did  harden  Pharoh's  heart,  yet  it  was  by  measures 
that  would  have  disarmed  the  opposition,  and  commanded  the 
acquiescence  of  an  upright  mind.  v.  4.  /  mill  lay  my  hand 
vpon  Mizraini,  because  Pharoh  is  the  representative  of  the 
Egyptians — because  they  concur  in  his  sentiments  —  and 
because,  even  when  they  do  not  concur,  they  do  not  actively 
dissent  from  his  intentions.  Thus  nations  share  the  guilt, 
and  therefore  the  punishment  of  their  erring  sovereigns. 
Moreover,  God  will  touch  the  consciences  of  the  nation  in  this 


64  THE  FIRST  PLA.GUE. 

bigli  controversy,  and  awaken  within  them  that  fear  of  God 
which  ought  to  regulate  and  set  bounds  to  the  fear  of  their 
earthly  king  (v.  5).  /  will  bring  forth  my  hosts.  The  hosts 
of  the  Lord  they  were  in  a  literal  sense,  and  a  stern  work  they 
had  to  perform  in  the  beginning  of  their  career.  Yet  they 
gradually  rose  to  a  higher  form  of  warfare,  in  which  they  were 
destined  yet  with  many  auxiliaries  to  endure  hardness  as 
good  soldiers  of  the  Messiah.  The  term  hosts,  however,  is  sig- 
nificant even  here.  It  points  to  the  fact  that  the  sons  of  Israel 
are  to  march  out  of  Egypt  in  battle  array,  apart  from  the 
women,  children,  cattle,  and  baggage  (xiii.  18).  v.  5.  Aoid 
Mizraim  shall  know.  They  shall  find  by  experience,  whether 
they  take  the  lesson  to  heart  or  not.  That  I  am  the  Lord. 
That  great  master- truth  of  all  theology,  that  the  God  of  the 
Hebrews  is  the  one  true  and  living  God,  the  founder  and 
mover  of  heaven  and  earth.  The  nations  have  inherited  the 
vague  notion  of  God  indeed  from  their  common  father ;  but 
they  have  essentially  corrupted  it,  so  that  their  gods  are  no 
longer  the  true  God  at  all,  but  only  a  baseless  phantom  of 
their  imagination.  They  have  lost  the  historical  connection 
with  the  God  of  their  remote  ancestry.  In  the  one  line  of 
Israel,  through  the  providence  of  God,  has  the  historical  reve- 
lation of  God  been  preserved  pure  and  entire.  This  would 
have  been  Egypt's  day  of  grace,  if  the  nation  had  only  fuUy 
accepted  this  one  lesson,  "  I  am  the  Lord  ; "  but  it  became  a 
day  of  judgment  on  account  of  its  rejection,  and  this  day  con- 
tinued, until  salvation  began  to  go  forth  from  Jerusalem,  v. 
6.  And  thus  did  Moses  and  Aaron.  There  is  henceforward 
a  prompt  and  constant  obedience  to  the  divine  command, 
with  the  exception  of  certain  grave  inadvertencies  into  which 
they  are  betrayed  by  the  remaining  infirmities  of  the  old  man. 
V.  7.  And  Moses  was  eighty  years  old.  We  are  now  arrived 
at  the  point  we  had  reached  in  the  summary  of  vi.  1 3.  It  is 
in  place  to  state  the  ages  of  the  two  brothers.  As  no  men- 
tion is  made  of  any  difficulty  in  saving  Aaron  when  an  infant, 
it  is  not  improbable  that  the  edict  about  the  execution  of 
the  male  infants,  by  casting  them  into  the  Nile,  was  published 
after  his  birth,  and  in  fact  very  shortly  before  the  birth  of 
Moses.  Eighty  years  may  seem  a  ripe  age  for  entering  upon 
an  arduous  enterprise ;  but  all  the  ancestors  of  Moses  lived 


EXODUS  VI I.  8-13.  65 

beyond  tlie  age  of  130  yeai-s,  so  that  ('ii^dity  was  not  more  in 
proportion  than  forty  wouhl  be  now.  'i'his  is  the  proper  close 
of  the  paragraph  beginning  with  the  genealogy  (vi.  14),  and, 
therefore,  after  having  expanded  vi.  1  3  in  the  previous  ])as- 
sage,  the  wiiter  is  prepared  to  go  on  with  the  main  line  of  the 
narrative. 

V.  .S-13.  Moses  now  understands  the  position  of  advantage 
in  wliich  the  Lord  has  put  him,  and  is  emboldened  to  appear 
the  second  time  before  Pharoh.  Having  armed  liis  servant 
witii  miraculous  powei-s,  so  that  he  is  a  god  to  Pharoh,  the 
Lord  makes  a  second  overture  to  the  haughty  monarch.  Let 
it  become  a  dragon.  The  more  general  word  P?*^  is  here 
employed  instead  of  serpent,  (iv.  3),  simply  because  this  is 
not  precisely  the  same  sign  that  was  shown  to  Moses  in  the 
mount  of  God.  The  latter  was  to  be  exhibited  before  the 
people  for  tlieir  conviction  (iv.  1-5).  The  wonders  to  be  done 
before  Pharoh  (iv.  21-23)  were  not  the  same,  though  two  of 
them  were  similar,  and  seem  to  have  included  all  the  plagues 
M  hich  were  afterwards  wrought  by  the  hand  of  Moses.  The 
dragon  is  here,  therefore,  a  different  species  of  the  scrjient 
kind  from  that  which  appeared  before  the  Israelites.  The 
kind  of  animal  on  each  occasion  is  that  which  would  be  most 
significant  to  the  party  concerned.  The  serjjent  would  recall 
to  Israel  the  serpent  in  Eden.  The  tannin  here  rendered 
dragon  after  the  Scptuagint  may  have  been  the  asp  or 
basilisk,  which  was  the  emblem  oT  royalty,  or  some  other  species 
of  serpent  equally  significant  to  Pharoli  and  to  Egypt.  The 
sages  and  the  sorcerers;  and  the  scribes.  The  sages  and 
scribes  were  summoned  to  Pharoli  in  the  time  of  Josej)h, 
(Gen.  xli.  8).  It  is  probable  that  the  .scribes  or  hieroglyph.s, 
included  all  the  classes  of  sages,  and  that  the  sages  included 
the  sorcerers.  They  also  did  so  icith  tlieir  enchantments. 
It  is  certain  that  the  charming  of  serpents  has  been  long 
practised  in  Egypt  and  adjacent  countries.  The  serpent 
called  hage  by  the  Arabs,  api)arently  the  asp,  can  be  made 
to  aj)pear  as  dead  or  rigid  as  a  stick,  and  of  coinse  restored 
to  its  natural  state  again.  Now  the  Scripture  does  not  care 
to  determine  whether  a  given  work  be  done  by  natural  or 
jtreteniatural  means.  It  grants  merely  that  the  thing  in 
question  has  been  done,  when  it  is  pi-ofessed  and  appears  to 

£ 


66  THE  FIRST  PLAGUE. 

have  been  done.  It  does  not  concern  the  sacred  writer  or 
his  readers  how  the  impression  was  made  on  the  senses,  but 
only  that  in  fact  it  was  made.  And  Aaivn's  rod  swalloived 
up  their  rods.  This  was  a  plain  and  palpable  proof  that 
the  presence  and  power  of  God  were  with  Moses.  It  may- 
occur  to  the  mind  that  it  would  have  been  as  effectual  a  mode 
of  convincing  Pharoh  to  have  restrained  his  magicians  from 
playing  their  part  before  him.  And  undoubtedly  the 
Almighty  could  have  done  so.  But  it  is  not  his  way  to  in- 
terfere by  physical  force  with  the  free  agency  of  his 
responsible  creatures,  (see  Gen.  iii.  1-7).  If  it  had,  he  would 
have  restrained  Satan  from  entertaining  the  intention  of 
resisting  his  Maker,  or  at  least  from  afterwards  intruding  into 
the  garden  of  Eden ;  and  he  would  have  withheld  the  woman's 
hand  and  desire  from  the  fruit  of  the  forbidden  tree,  and  so 
actual  sin  might  never  have  entered  into  heaven  or  earth. 
But  where  would  have  been  free  agency,  or  by  what  means 
would  the  existence  of  creature  morality  have  been  known? 
Let  us  not  imagine,  therefore,  that  even  in  this  small  matter 
we  can  amend  God's  mode  of  procedure.  And  Pharoh' s  heart 
was  hardened.  It  is  plain  that  Pharoh  had  deluded  himself 
by  means  of  his  magicians  into  the  fancy  that  Moses  is  onlj?" 
a  more  skilful  magician  than  his  own.  He  attaches  no  proper 
weight  to  the  disappearance  of  their  rods,  which  was  the 
testing  miracle.  As  the  Lord  had  spoken.  It  is  the  pre- 
rogative of  the  Omniscient  to  predict  the  conduct  of  men. 
Though  we  cannot  explain  this  mystery,  yet  from  the  known 
character  of  a  man  we  can  sometimes  make  a  shrewd  guess  at 
the  way  in  which  he  will  act  in  given  circumstances. 

The  interview  with  the  people,  the  first  appearance  before 
Pharoh,  the  two  days  after  which  the  officers  were  beaten, 
the  second  interview  with  the  people,  and  the  second  with 
Pharoh,  cannot  have  occupied  less  than  seven  days,  and 
therefore  bring  us  to  the  20th  January  or  thereabout. 

V.  14-24.  This  second  appeal  having  failed  to  make  any 
impression  on  the  heart  of  Pharoh,  the  Lord,  as  a  third  and 
last  resort,  directs  Moses  to  the  infliction  of  the  first  of  a 
series  of  judicial  strokes,  increasing  in  intensity  of  effect,  by 
which  the  refractory  monarch  is  at  length  compelled  to  let 
the  people  go.     The   Jewish   Rabbis  have  not   been   slow  to 


EXODUS  VII.  14-24.  07 

observe  the  regulai*  order  in  wliicli  these  successive  strokes 
are  arranged,  .and  the  gradual  advance  which  they  make  fntni 
the  external  to  the  internal,  and  from  the  mediate  to  the 
innuediate  hand  of  God.  They  are  in  number  ten  ;  which 
is  one  of  the  numbers  denoting  perfection.  They  are  divided 
first  into  nine,  and  one,  the  hist  one,  standing  clearly  apart 
from  all  the  others,  in  the  awful  shriek  of  woe  which  it  draws 
forth  from  every  Egyptian  home.  The  nine  are  arranged  in 
threes.  In  the  first  of  each  three  the  warning  is  given  to 
Pharoh  in  the  morning  (vii.  1.5  ;  viii.  20;  ix.  13).  In  the 
first  and  second  of  each  three,  the  plague  is  announced 
beforehand  (viii.  1  ;  ix.  1  ;  x.  1),  in  the  third  not  (viii,  10  ; 
ix.  8;  X.  21).  At  the  third  the  magicians  of  Pharoh  acknow- 
ledged the  finger  of  God  (viii.  19),  at  the  sixth  they  cannot 
stand  before  Moses  (ix.  11),  and  at  the  ninth  Phai-oh  refuses 
to  see  the  face  of  Moses  any  more  (x.  28).  In  the  first  three 
Aaron  uses  the  rod ;  in  the  second  three  it  is  not  mentioned ; 
in  the  third  three  Moses  uses  it,  though  in  the  last  of  them 
only  his  hand  is  mentioned.  All  these  marks  of  order  lie  on 
the  face  of  the  narrative,  and  point  to  a  deeper  order  of 
nature  and  reason  out  of  which  tliey  spring. 

The  gradation  in  the  severity  of  these  strokes  is  no  less 
obvious.  In  the  first  three  no  distinction  is  made  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  land ;  in  the  remaining  seven  a  distinction 
is  made  betw^een  the  Israelites,  who  are  shielded  from,  and  the 
Egyptian;?,  who  are  exposed  to,  the  stroke.  In  these  seven 
which  are  peculiar  to  the  Egyptians,  the  order  is  the  reverse 
of  that  in  the  work  of  creation.  Three  refer  to  the  animal 
creation,  and  three  to  the  vegetable  world,  the  support  of 
animal  life.  The  last  of  these  six  is  darkness,  the  opposite  of 
light,  the  product  of  tlie  first  day ;  and  the  seventh  is  death. 
The  first  three  afiect  the  health  and  comfort  of  man  ;  the  next 
three  take  away  the  staff  of  life  ;  then  comes  death  itself,  and 
the  work  of  destruction  is  complete. 

To  understand  the  deep  import  of  the  conflict  before  us, 
let  us  bear  in  mind  that  now  for  the  first  time  since  the  dis- 
})ersion  of  mankind  the  opjjosition  between  the  children  of 
God  and  the  children  of  disobedience  is  coming  out  into 
broad  daylight.  Egypt,  that  was  the  kind  fosterer  of  the 
chosen  family,  has  now  become  the  persecutor  of  Israel  and 


68  THE  FIRST  PLAGUE. 

the  avowed  antagonist  of  God.  The  present  struggle  is  there- 
fore no  raid  for  the  gathering  of  booty,  nor  encounter  between 
two  rival  nations,  nor  expedition  for  the  selfish  ends  of  an 
earthly  ambition.  It  is  the  controversy  between  light  and 
darkness,  in  which  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  manifests  his 
presence  and  power  on  behalf  of  his  people  and  against  the 
defiant  nation.  This  nation  is  for  the  time  being  the  repre- 
sentative of  all  heathendom,  which  is  the  kingdom  of  the 
prince  of  darkness  ;  and  the  battle  now  fought  is  the  model 
and  type  of  all  future  warfare  between  the  seed  of  the  woman 
and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  Hence  it  rise8-to-^-t}--anBcendent 
importance  in  the  ways  of  God  with  man,  and  fitly  holds  a 
place  even  in  the  preface  to  the  ten  commandments  (xx.  2). 

V.  14-18.  The  announcement  of  the  first  plague.  Pharoh's 
heart  is  hard,  heavy  0?^),  stupid  and  insensible  to  right  reason 
and  the  real  state  of  things.  In  the  jireceding  verse  it  was 
described  as  hard,  firm  (Pirj.'!),  obstinate,  and  infiexible  in  its 
own  selfish  purpose.  In  the  third  verse  of  this  chapter  we 
find  another  word  (p''^\^),  rendered  hard,  applied  to  the  heart, 
having  the  sense  of  obdurate,  steeled  against  every  tender  or 
unselfish  feeling.  We  have  only  the  one  equivalent  for  all 
these  terms.  Go  unto  Fharoh  in  the  morning.  It  appears 
that  Pharoh  was  wont  to  be  out  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  in 
the  morning,  either  for  an  airing,  or  to  bathe  in  its  waters. 
He  could  scarcely  be  supposed  to  visit  the  magnificent  river 
without  presenting  to  it  some  form  of  adoration.  To  the  Nile 
Egypt  owed  its  soil  and  its  fertility.  The  inhabitants  esteemed 
its  waters  the  most  delicious  beverao'e,  regarded  itself  as  the 
source  of  life  and  prosperity  to  the  nation,  and  soon  began  to 
venerate  it  as  the  deity  of  their  land,  identical  with  Osiris  and 
Apis.  Royalty  would  feel  itself  specially  attracted  by  such  a 
divinity,  and  bound  to  take  a  leading  part  in  its  worship.  At 
this  river's  brink,  therefore,  was  the  fit  place  to  meet  Pharoh. 
Tlie  rod  which  was  turned  into  a  serpent,  was  the  wand  of 
power  by  which  Moses  was  distinguished  as  the  minister  of 
heaven.  The  Lord.  This  is  the  name  of  present  and  active 
power,  by  which  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  is  now  to  be  prac- 
tically signalised.  Pharoh  is  reminded  of  the  divine  message, 
and  of  its  rejection  by  him.  v.  1 7.  In  this  thou  shalt  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.     Pharoh  is  to  know,  at  least  experimen- 


EXODUS  VII.  19-2k  GO 

tally,  if  not  submissively  and  penitently,  that  grand  sontonce 
"  1  am  the  Lord."  Behold  I  sinife.  This  was  to  take  place 
immediately  in  the  very  presence  of  Pharoh.  The  vxifrr  v:h'ich 
'iH  in  the  river,  that  very  river  which  was  the  object  of  all 
Egypt's  praise  and  veneration  !  A  nd  it  shall  he  turned  into 
blood,  blood  poured  out,  and  therefore  dead,  and  spreading 
death  instead  of  diffusing  life.  Hence  the  fish  shall  die,  and 
the  river  become  putrid  and  loathsome  to  the  smell  and  the 
taste.  This  was  sufficient  to  show,  if  it  was  necessary,  that 
the  Nile  was  not  a  god,  but  a  mere  inanimate  creature. 

V.  19-24'.  The  fulfilment  now  follows.  Say  unto  Aaron. 
Pharoh  is  to  learn  the  dignity  of  Closes,  who  commands  Aaron 
his  prophet  to  execute  this  miracle,  and  thus  Moses  is  a  god 
to  Pharoh.  Take  thy  rod.  This  is  the  rod  of  Moses  (v.  1 5) 
which  Aaron  bears.  Upon  their  rivers.  These  appear  to  be 
the  arms  or  mouths  into  which  the  Nile  separates  itself  in  the 
Delta,  of  which  there  were  anciently  seven.  They  are  called 
"  their  rivers,"  that  is,  those  of  Egypt,  which  is  here  a  collec- 
tive noun  denoting  the  nation.  Their  streams  {diupvyag  Sept.) 
are  the  canals  by  which  the  land  was  irrigated.  Their  ponds 
are  the  marshy  lakes,  such  as  Mocris  and  Mareotis.  And  every 
pool,  every  small  collection  or  reservoir  for  private  or  special 
use.  In  all  the  land  of  Mizravni,  not  only  in  the  river  and 
all  its  connected  waters,  but  in  the  land,  that  is,  as  explained, 
in  all  cisterns,  whether  of  wood  or  stone,  for  the  filtration  or 
preservation  of  the  water,  v,  20.  In  the  eyes  of  Pharoh,  and 
of  his  senrtnts.  A  retinue  of  his  courtiers  was  present  on  the 
occasion,  including  priests  and  magicians.  And  all  the  water 
UX18  turned  into  blood.  The  Nile  begins  to  rise  about  the  end 
of  June,  and  attains  its  highest  point  at  the  end  of  September. 
About  the  commencement  of  the  rise  it  assumes  a  greenish 
hue,  is  disagreeable  to  the  taste,  unwholesome,  and  often  totally 
unfit  for  drinking.  It  soon,  however,  becomes  red  and  turbid, 
and  continues  in  this  state  for  three  or  more  weeks.  In  this 
condition  it  is  again  healthy  and  fit  for  use.  The  miracle 
now  performed  was  totally  dificrent  from  this  annual  change. 
For  1 ,  it  occurred  after  the  winter,  not  the  summer,  solstice  ; 
2,  the  water  was  turned  into  blood,  and  not  merely  reddened 
by  an  admixture  of  red  clay  or  animalcula ;  8,  the  fish  died, 
a  result  which  did  not  follow  from  the  periodical  change  of 


70  THE  FIRST  PLAGUE. 

colour ;  4,  the  river  stank,  and  became  offensive,  which  it 
ceased  to  be  when  the  ordinary  redness  made  its  appearance  ; 
5,  the  stroke  was  arrested  at  the  end  of  seven  days,  whereas 
the  natural  redness  continued  for  at  least  three  weeks  ;  and  6, 
the  change  was  brought  on  instantly  at  the  word  of  command 
before  the  eyes  of  Pharoh.  The  calamity  was  appalling.  The 
sweet  waters  of  the  Nile  were  the  common  beverage  of  Egypt. 
It  abounded  in  all  kinds  of  fish,  which  formed  a  principal 
article  of  diet  for  the  inhabitants.  It  was  revered  as  a  god 
by  Egypt.  But  now  it  was  a  putrid  flood,  from  which  they 
turned  away  with  loathing.  And  the  scribes  of  Mizraim  did 
so  with  their  enchantments.  It  has  been  asked  Mdiere  they 
got  the  water.  We  read  in  the  24th  verse  that  "all  Mizraim 
digged  round  about  the  river  for  water  to  drink."  We  have 
no  doubt  the  hieroglyphs  of  Pharoh  had  wit  enough  to  make 
the  same  experiment.  The  natives  of  a  country  in  which  the 
only  river  becomes  periodically  unfit  for  drinking  would  not 
be  unfamiliar  with  the  expedient  of  digging  for  water  when 
the  ordinary  supply  failed.  These  miracle-mongers  confine 
themselves  to  the  safe  experiment  of  imitating  on  a  small 
scale  the  work  of  God's  servants.  It  would  have  been  a  clear 
demonstration  of  their  superiority  if  they  had  countermanded 
the  order  of  Moses,  and  converted  the  morbid  mass  into  a 
limpid  stream.  This  was  what  Egypt  needed.  Their  trick 
was  but  a  wretched  mockery  of  help.  v.  23.  NeitJter  did  he 
set  his  heart  even  to  this.  When  the  will  is  strongly  bent 
upon  a  foregone  conclusion,  a  very  small  show  of  proof  will 
beget  conviction.  The  hieroglyphs  managed  to  exhibit  the 
appearance  at  least  of  changing  a  little  water  into  blood.  The 
headstrong  monarch  is  confirmed  in  his  resolve,  and  retuins 
unmoved  by  Egypt's  misery  to  his  home.  v.  25.  And  seven 
days  were  fulfilled.  The  "smiting"  of  the  river  was  not  a 
momentary  act,  but  a  process  that  lasted  for  seven  days,  and 
then  was  remitted.  This  carries  us  on  to  about  the  27th 
January.  We  are  not  informed  what  length  of  time  was 
occupied  with  the  other  plagues  ;  but  it  will  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  order  and  clearness  to  suppose  that  seven  days  elapsed 
during  the  course  of  each  of  the  seven  following. 

This  miracle  was  not  merely  a  judicial,  but  a  significant 
act.      It  marks  the  retribution  of  heaven.      Pharoh  orders  the 


EXODUS  VIII,  71 

male  infants  of  the  Hebrews  to  be  cast  into  the  river,  that 
they  might  perish  there  and  become  food  for  its  fish.  That 
very  river  is  changed  into  a  stream  of  death.  It  disphvys 
also  the  folly  of  creature-worship.  Pharuh  adores  the  life- 
sustaining  power  of  nature,  as  embodied  in  the  majestic  river, 
before  him.  The  God  of  nature  transforms  the  running  water 
into  a  river  of  death  before  his  eyes.  It  demonstrates,  in  the 
way  that  was  most  striking  to  the  Hebrew  and  the  Egyptian, 
that  the  God  of  Israel  was  the  true  and  only  God  of  lieaven 
and  earth,  and  that  all  other  objects  of  worship  were  but  the 
creatures  of  God  or  the  works  of  men's  hands. 

The  next  four  verses  of  the  Hebrew  text,  appended  in  Van 
der  Hooght's  edition  to  this  chapter,  are  here,  fur  the  sake  of 
convenience,  transferred  to  the  beginning  of  the  next  chapter, 
in  accordance  with  a  considerable  number  of  MSS.  and  some 
early  versions,  including  the  Vulgate.  This  arrangement  of  the 
text  is  adopted  in  Walton's  Polyglott  and  the  English  Version. 


VI.    SECOND  THREE  PLAGUES. EXOD.  VIII.   20 IX.    12. 

CHAP.  VIII.    2.  FROGS,  3.  LICE,  AND  4.  FLIES. 

9.  "i^snn.  This  foi-m  elsewhere  denotes  to  glory  or  vaunt 
oneself.  Hei-e,  however,  the  Sept.  gives  "rd^ai,  the  Vulg.  con- 
stitiie,  and  the  Targum  of  Onkelos,  "  set  thou  a  time."  The 
former  meaning  must,  in  the  present  passage,  be  taken  in  a 
pregnant  sense,  and  include  the  latter.  The  radical  significa- 
tion of  the  verb,  namely,  to  be  hrifjht,  clear,  however,  will 
naturally  3'ield  the  latter  as  a  secondary  meaning. 

IG.  D33,  D'33  lice..  In  the  Talmud  n33  a  louse.  The 
Jewish  interpreters  (including  Onkelos  and  Jo.sei)hu.s),  the 
Syriac,  the  Arabic,  and  the  Talmud,  give  this  meaning,  which 
is  supported  by  Bochart.  The  Sept.  gives  cy.ufi;,  which 
Gescnius  and  others  take  to  mean  gnats.  But  y.'Jj'^ui-^  or  t.aWs 
is  the  gnat,  llie  cxmi-^  is  said  to  be  an  ant  that  preys  on 
figs,  or  an  insect  that  lives  under  the  bark  of  trees.  Either 
of  these  bears  more  analogy  to  the  louse  than  to  the  gnat  or 
most|uito.     The    louse   is  also  found  "  on  men  and  beasts," 


72  THE  PLAGUE  OF  FROGS. 

while   the   gnat  flies  in   the  air.     The  former  is  also  more 
clearly  distinguished  from  the  y^V  than  the  latter. 

21.  ^'^^  fly.  The  Sept.  gives  7(.vi/6f/,via,  dog-fly;  Aquila 
'TTcc/jb/nuia,  all  hinds  of  flies.  It  seems  probable  that  as  the  ^33 
is  a  parasitical  animal  without  wings,  so  the  3nj;  is  a  fly  that 
has  a  long  proboscis,  piercing  the  skin,  sucking  the  blood, 
and  leaving  a  painful  and  highly  inflamed  wound.  It  may 
derive  its  name  from  3"iy  ilie  evening,  when  it  becomes  most 
troublesome,  or  from  31^  to  mix,  because  the  whole  class  of 
flies  is  included.  Kalisch  is  strongly  in  favour  of  the  beetle 
(Blatfa  Orientalis)  ;  but  this  does  not  attack  men.  In  the 
absence  of  any  very  distinct  aid  from  usage,  the  word  being 
found  only  in  this  passage  and  in  Ps.  Ixxviii.  45,  cv.  31,  it 
seems  better  to  adhere  to  the  generic  term,  fly,  which  accords 
best  with  all  the  circumstances  noted.  It  fastens  on  man, 
enters  houses,  and  infests  fields. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  to  Pharoh,  and  say  unto 
him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Let  my  people  go  and  serve  me.  2  And 
if  thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,  behold,  I  Avill  smite  all  tliy  border  with 
frogs.  3  And  the  river  shall  swarm  Avith  frogs,  and  they  shall  come 
up  and  go  in  to  thy  house,  and  to  thy  sleeping  room  and  upon  thy  bed, 
and  into  the  house  of  thy  servants,  and  on  thy  people,  and  into  thine 
ovens  and  into  thy  kneading  troughs.  4  And  on  thee  and  on  thy  people 
and  on  all  thy  servants  shall  the  frogs  come  up.  5  And  the  Lord 
said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Stretch  forth  thy  hand  with  thy  rod 
over  the  rivers,  and  over  the  streams,  and  over  the  ponds,  and  bring 
up  the  frogs  upon  the  land  of  Mizraim.  6  And  Aaron  stretched  forth 
his  hand  over  the  waters  of  Mizraim,  and  the  frogs  came  up  and 
covered  tlie  land  of  Mizraim.  7  And  the  scribes  did  so  with  their 
enchantments,  and  brought  up  frogs  upon  the  land  of  Mizraim. 

8  And  Pharoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  Intreat  the  Lord  and 
let  Him  take  away  the  frogs  from  me  and  from  my  people  ;  and  I  will 
let  the  people  go  and  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord.  9  And  Moses  said 
unto  Pharoh,  Prescribe  unto  me,  when  I  shall  entreat  for  thee  and  for 
thy  servants  and  for  thy  people,  to  cut  off  the  frogs  from  thee  and  thy 
houses  :  only  in  the  river  shall  they  remain.  10  And  he  said,  To- 
morrow. And  he  said,  Be  it  according  to  thy  word  ;  that  thou  mayest 
know  that  there  is  none  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God.  11  And  the 
frogs  shall  depart  from  thee,  and  from  thy  houses,  and  from  thy  ser- 
vants, and  from  thy  people  j  only  in  the  river  shall  they  remain.     12 


EXODUS  VIII.  73 

And  ^Toscs  and  Aaron  Avont  out  from  Pliaroli  :  and  ^fosos  criod  unto 
llic  Lord  on  account  of  the  frogs  which  ho  had  brought  on  Pliaroh. 
13  And  the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses  :  and  the  frogs 
died  out  of  the  houses,  out  of  the  courts,  and  out  of  the  fields.  14 
And  tlicy  gathered  them  together  in  heaps  ;  and  the  land  stank.  15 
And  Pliaroh  siw  that  there  was  respite,  and  he  hardened  his  heart 
and  hearkened  not  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken.  §  6. 

IG  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Stretch  forth 
thy  rod,  anil  smite  the  dust  of  the  hind,  and  it  shall  become  lice  in  all 
the  land  of  Mizraim.  17  And  they  did  so  :  and  Aaron  stretched  out 
his  hand  with  his  rod,  and  smote  the  dust  of  the  land,  and  it  became  lico 
on  man  and  on  beast :  all  the  dust  of  the  land  became  lice  in  all  the  land 
of  ^lizraim.  18  And  the  scribes  did  so  with  their  enchantments  to 
bring  forth  the  lice,  and  could  not  :  and  the  lice  were  on  man  and  on 
beast.  19  And  the  scribes  said  unto  Pharoh,  This  is  the  finger  of 
Clod.  And  Pharoh's  heart  was  hardened  and  he  hearkened  not  unto 
them  ;  as  the  Lord  had  spoken.  §  7. 

20  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  stand  bef(jre  Pharoh,  lo,  he  conieth  forth  to  the  water  :  and  say 
unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Let  my  people  go  and  serve  me. 
21  For  if  thou  wilt  not  let  my  people  go,  behold  I  send  upon  thee 
and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy  people,  and  into  thy  houses,  tho 
lly  ;  and  the  houses  of  Mizraim  shall  be  full  of  the  fly,  and  even  the 
ground  whereon  they  are.  22  And  I  will  sever  in  that  day  the  land 
of  Goshen,  on  which  my  people  stand,  that  the  fly  may  not  be  there  ; 
tliat  thou  mayest  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  land. 
23  And  I  will  put  a  division  between  my  people  and  thy  people  :  to- 
morrow shall  this  sign  be.  24  And  the  Lord  did  so,  and  there  came 
a  grievous  fly  into  Pharoh's  house  and  the  house  of  his  servants;  and 
in  all  the  land  of  ^lizraim  the  land  Avas  destroyed  by  reason  of  the  fly. 

25  And  Pharoh  called  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  said.  Go  ye,  sacri- 
fice to  your  God  in  the  land.  2G  And  Moses  said,  It  is  not  meet  so 
to  do  ;  for  we  shall  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  Mizraim  to  the  Lord 
our  God  :  lo,  we  shall  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  Mizraim  before 
their  eyes,  and  will  they  not  stone  us  ?  27  Wo  will  go  three  days' 
journey  into  the  wilderness,  and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  our  God,  as  Ho 
shall  say  unto  us.  28  And  Pharoh  said,  I  will  let  you  go  and  sacri- 
fice to  the  Lord  your  God  in  the  wilderness  ;  only  ye  shall  not  go 
very  far  away  :  entreat  for  me.  20  And  Moses  said,  Behold,  I  go  out 
from  thee  and  entreat  the  Lord,  and  the  fly  shall  depart  from  Pharoh, 
from  his  servants,  and  from  his  people  to-morrow  :  only  let  not 
Pharoh  deal  falsely  any  more,  not  to  let  the  people  go  to  sacrifice 
to  the  Lord.     30  And  Moses  went  out  from  Pharoh,  and  entreated 


74  THE  PLAGUE  OF  FROGS. 

tlie  Lord,  31  Aud  the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses, 
and  removed  the  fly  from  Pharoh,  from  his  servants,  and  from  his 
people :  not  one  remained.  32  And  Pharoh  hardened  his  heart  at 
this  time  also  ;  neither  did  he  let  the  people  go.  IF  l^l- 

In  this  chapter  we  have  the  plagues  of  the  frogs,  the  lice, 
and  the  fly  grouped  together,  probably  because  tlieyall  belong 
to  the  smaller  tribes  of  animals.  In  the  conception  of  the 
author,  however,  it  is  evident  that  the  two  former,  with  the 
change  of  water  into  blood,  constitute  the  first  triad  of  judicial 
visitations,  as  two  of  them  are  announced  beforehand  and  the 
third  not,  according  to  a  law  which  is  observed  in  each  triad. 

v.  1-15.  The  plague  of  frogs.  Go  in  to  Pharoh.  This  in- 
fliction is  to  be  announced  to  Pharoh  in  his  palace,  as  the 
former  was  by  the  river  side  (vii.  1  5).  The  request  for  leave 
to  depart  is  repeated,  and  in  case  of  refusal  the  plague  of 
frogs  is  threatened,  v,  3,  4.  The  river  shall  swarm  tvith 
frogs.  Frogs  abound  in  Egypt.  They  appear,  when  the  river 
overflows  the  country,  in  all  the  pools  of  water.  The  common 
frog,  the  green  or  edible  frog  (rana  esculenfa),  and  the  speckled 
frog  (r.  punctata),  are  found  in  Egypt.  The  number  of  eggs 
in  the  spawn  of  a  single  frog  varies  from  1000  to  1500. 
The  appearance  of  these  animals  in  considerable  numbers  on 
land  is  generally  preceded  and  accompanied  by  heavy  storms 
of  rain  (Kitto's  Cyclop.).  Such  an  accompaniment  would 
render  the  visitation  more  appalling  to  the  Egyptians. 

The  phraseology  here  is  similar  to  that  employed  in  the 
six  days'  creation  (Gen.  i.  20).  Miracles  are  not  the  less 
supernatural,  because  their  products  are  natural  objects  pre- 
viously well-known,  as  frogs,  or  are  placed  in  ordinary 
circumstances,  as  frogs  in  the  standing  water  of  a  river,  or 
are  even  arranged  in  natural  succession,  as  frogs  in  the  Nile 
after  its  change  of  colour.  The  author  of  nature  does  not 
put  himself  out  of  all  relation  with  the  laws  he  lias  imposed 
on  nature,  when  he  introduces  a  new  effect  of  his  power  into 
the  sphere  of  nature.  His  wondrous  deeds  come  under  the 
law  of  reason,  and  therefore  fall  in  with  the  law  of  nature. 
The  miracle  consists  in  the  event  described,  1.  happen- 
ing accordingly ;  2.  in  the  circumstances  pi'edicted  or  at 
the  word  of  command  ;  3.  without  any  ordinary  causes 
either    existing    or    having   had    time    to    operate ;    and    4. 


EXODT'S  VIII.    1-15.  75 

farther,  it  may  1)C  at  an  nnu.sual  season,  and  in  an  un- 
usually magnified  fi)rm.  The  hist  condition,  however,  i.s 
not  absohitely  necessary.  The  event  is  described  witli  con- 
sidoraLlc  minuteness  in  tlie.se  two  verses.  It  is  evidently 
aggravated  beyond  the  usual  form.  The  frogs  venture  into 
the  houses,  the  sleejjing  apartments,  the  very  beds.  They 
j)cnetrate  into  the  ovens  and  kneading  troughs.  The  baking 
oven  was  often  a  round  hole,  three  feet  <leep,  and  plastered 
M'ith  mud.  This  was  heated  liy  burning  brushwood  in  it. 
The  dough  was  then  spread  witli  the  hand  on  its  sides,  and 
speedily  baked  (Layard's  Nineveh).  A  i)ot  of  earthenware,  of 
nearly  tlie  same  shape,  was  also  enndoyed  for  the  same  pvn- 
pose,  the  fire  being  placed  within,  and  the  dough  aj)j)lied 
without.  Into  such  a  vessel  or  pit,  when  unemployed,  the 
fi'ogs  might  easily  enter.  They  even  leap  upon  the  person 
("on  thee "),  probably  when  reclining  for  repose.  The  an- 
noyance of  such  a  visitation  can  hardly  be  conceived. 

V.  5-7.  Aaron  stretching  forth  his  hand,  with  the  wand  of 
power,  is  here  the  sign,  equivalent  to  the  word  of  connnand. 
Tlce  rivers,  see  vii.  19.  Upon  the  land.  Their  usual  place 
was  the  river.  Covered  the  land.  This  extraordinary  abund- 
ance on  the  land  accounts  for  their  intrusion  into  the  apart- 
ments and  utensils  of  the  people.  Here  the  event  takes  place, 
according  to  the  description,  at  the  sign  of  command,  without 
any  ordinary  cause.  Frogs  are  not  usually  spawned,  trans- 
formed into  tadpoles,  and  then  into  frogs,  and  spread  over  a 
country  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  The  magicians 
imitated  this  miracle,  no  doubt  at  the  summons  of  Pharoh,  it 
is  needless  to  enquire  how.  It  would  have  been  more  to  the 
purpose  if  by  their  enchantments  they  had  cleared  the  land 
of  them. 

V.  8-15.  The  removal  of  the  frogs.  And  Pharoh  called 
for  Moses  and  Aaiv)i.  He  is  at  length  moved.  Having  at 
his  command  all  the  resoiirces  of  sovereignty,  he  may  have 
been  tolerably  supplied  with  well-water,  even  when  the  river 
flowed  with  blood.  He  did  not  feel  much  personal  incon- 
venience from  the  former  plague.  But  he  cannot  escape  the 
})resence  and  contact  of  these  loathsome  creatures.  He  suffers 
more  from  their  offensive  intrusion  than  his  meanest  subjects. 
He  must  take  all  means  to  escape  from  this  unutterable  pest. 
His  hieroglyphs  fail  him  in  the  hour  of  need.    Else,  he  would 


76  THE  PLAGUE  OF  FROGS. 

never  have  had  recourse  to  Moses  and  Aaron.  Entreat  the 
Lord.  Here  is  an  explicit  acknowledgment  of  the  Loixl 
forced  from  him  who  said,  "  Who  is  the  Lord  that  I  should 
obey  his  voice  ?  I  know  not  the  Lord  "  (v.  2).  Let  him  take 
away  the  frogs.  He  only  who  sent  them  can  take  them 
away.  This  is  Pharoh's  present  experience.  And  I  will  let 
the  people  go.  He  now  humbly  promises,  who  once  and  again 
had  said,  "  I  will  not  let  Israel  go."  His  former  language  is 
now  completely  revoked.  It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  the 
will  corresponds  with  the  word. 

V.  9-11.  Prescribe  unto  me  when  I  shall  entreat  for  thee. 
The  original  means  either,  "glory  over  me,  defy  me,  by  set- 
ting the  time  when  I  am  to  do  this,"  or  determine  for  me. 
The  former  is  a  challenge  to  Pharoli  to  defy  him  (Moses)  zo 
work  the  miracle  at  a  prescribed  time.  The  latter  is  simply 
leaving  the  time  of  performance  to  be  determined  by  Pharoh. 
This  is  the  easier  sense,  and  is  involved  in  the  former.  Only 
in  the  river,  the  element  in  which  they  are  usually  seen,  when 
they  appea.r  at  all  When  they  retire  for  hibernation,  they 
are  not  open  to  common  observation. 

V.  1  'l-\  5.  And  the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses. 
This  is  the  second  and  decisive  part  of  the  miracle.  The 
frogs  suddenly  die  out  of  the  land,  are  gathered  in  heaps  or 
measures,  and  emit  a  grievous  stench.  Thus  at  the  word  of 
Moses  they  come,  and  at  his  word  they  go.  There  is  a 
power  here  above  nature.  The  God  of  nature  is  with  Moses. 
He  accomplishes  what  the  magicians  did  not  attempt,  Pharoh, 
however,  thinks  not  of  this  demonstration  of  the  divine  power 
and  mercy,  but  only  of  the  "  respite."  On  obtaining  relief,  his 
obduracy  of  heart  returns.  His  promise,  it  now  appears,  was 
from  the  lip,  not  the  heart. 

The  plague  of  frogs  was  fraught  with  its  own  lessons  to  all 
parties  concerned.  One  of  the  feeblest  and  most  harmless  of 
living  creatures  was  Ity  its  miraculous  multiplication  made  a 
source  of  greater  distress  to  Pharoh  than  even  the  turning  of 
the  Nile  into  blood,  compelling  him  to  confess  the  impotence 
of  his  own  gods  and  their  attendants,  to  acknowledge  the 
omnipotence  of  Jehovah,  to  implore  the  intercession  of  his 
ministers,  and  to  promise  all  that  was  demanded  of  him. 
God  has  at  hand   in  the  weakest  thino-s   the   most  abundant 


EXODUS  VIII.   IG-I  0.  77 

means  ami  the  must  unexpected  ways  of  eliastisiiig  tlic  traiis- 
fjressor.  The  JVog,  moreover,  liad  a  cfrtaiu  Kignificaiicc  to 
Kuyj)t.  It  was  the  symbol  of  human  lite  in  embryo.  In  the 
hiei\)glyphics  it  sat  on  a  ring,  one  of  the  emblems  of  life, 
and  from  its  back  rose  a  palm  branch,  the  symbol  of  the 
month  or  of  time.  The  fiog-headed  god  is  a  form  of  Pthah, 
the  crcjitive  or  formative  principle.  Whatever  mysteriinis 
connection  the  frog  had  with  life  in  the  mind  of  an  Egyptian, 
it  is  evident  that  the  reptile  lives  and  dies  at  the  will  of  the 
Ciod  of  Moses.  Whatever  divinity  or  divine  attribute  wa.s 
ascribed  to  it  or  denoted  by  it,  the  frog  itself  is  but  an  in- 
ferior creature  of  the  true  God,  moving  in  a  sphere  immeasur- 
ably beneath  that  of  man,  and  unconsciously  fullilling  its 
humble  function  in  the  economy  of  nature.  This  base  creature 
is  now  made  to  bend  the  refractory  will  of  proud  Pharoh. 

v,  lG-19.  The  plague  of  lice.  W^e  are  now  come  to  the 
third  plague.  No  warning  is  here  given  to  Pharoh.  His 
treacherous  dealinrj  had  forfeited  even  this  measure  of  for- 
bearance.  Say  unto  Aaron.  As  in  the  former  two  of  this 
triad  the  performance  is  assigned  to  Aaron.  Smite  the.  dust 
of  the  land.  The  frogs  had  their  source  in  the  rivers  and 
]ionds ;  the  lice  in  the  dust  of  the  land.  The  latter  plague  is 
thus  the  complement  of  the  former.  And  it  shall  become 
lire.  The  reasons  for  retaining  this  version  have  been  already 
assigned  ;  to  which  it  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  vermin  of 
the  kind  is  one  of  the  common  annoyances  of  Egypt.  Hero- 
dotus tells  us  (ii.  37)  that  the  priests  shave  their  whole  body 
every  other  day,  that  no  lice  or  other  impure  thing  may 
adhere  to  them  when  they  are  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
gods.  It  is  manifest  that  this  species  of  vermin  was  paiticu- 
larly  disgusting  to  the  Egyptians  ;  and  it  is  said  that  in  the 
space  of  a  year  one  of  these  creatures  will  produce  5000  eggs 
or  nits.  On  man  and  on  heaat.  This  is  one  of  the  aggrava- 
tions of  this  plague.  The  stream  of  blood  was  a  distant 
object,  which  could  be  alleviated  by  digging  for  water.  The 
frotrs  were  a  loathsome  and  disrjustinf;  nuisance  in  the  houses 
and  on  the  furniture  of  the  people  ;  but  still  they  did  not 
ordinarily  come  into  contact  with  their  persons,  or  inflict 
])ain.  The  lice,  on  the  other  hand,  inhabited  the  skin,  sueki'd 
the  blood,  caused  a  disagreeable   itching,  created  a  feeling  of 


78  THE  PLAGUE  OF  LICE. 

■uncleanness,  and  threatened  to  become  a  disease  of  the  most 
frightful  description.  And  could  iiot.  The  magicians  of 
Pharoh  attempt  to  imitate  this  miracle,  but  fail.  This  is  a 
second  point  in  which  this  miracle  surpasses  the  others.  Even 
so  mimite  an  animal  as  this  they  are  unable  to  produce.  This 
is  the  finger  of  God.  They  are  obliged  to  confess  that  this 
was  the  effect  of  divine  power.  It  is  obvious,  however,  that 
this  was  said  to  cover  their  defeat ;  and  therefore  their  mean- 
ing is  that  this  visitation  was  brought  on  by  the  ordinary 
providence  and  power  of  God,  and  not  by  any  magic  art  or 
miraculous  power  either  of  Moses  and  Aaron  or  of  themselves. 
This  accounts  for  the  persistence  of  Pharoh  in  his  obstinacy. 
Adopting  the  solution  of  his  counsellors,  he  regards  this  event 
no  longer  as  a  sign  or  wonder  wrought  by  the  ministers  of 
Jehovah,  but  as  a  mere  effect  of  the  general  providence  of  God, 
and  therefore  to  be  borne  with  patience  so  long  as  it  should 
last. 

This  plague  was  not  without  its  weighty  lessons.  A  still 
more  minute  and  contemptible  animal  was  now  made  a  source 
of  extreme  annoyance  to  the  Egyptians.  It  infested  all  men, 
priests  as  well  as  others,  and  therefore  unfitted  them  for 
entering  the  temples  of  their  gods.  It  appeared  on  all  beasts, 
sacred  as  well  as  profane,  and  therefore  on  all  the  animals 
that  were  regarded  as  divinities  ;  and  it  defiled  everything  it 
touched.  Thus  contempt  was  brought  on  everything  that 
was  vainly  imagined  to  be  sacred  among  the  Egyptians,  Next, 
the  miracle-mongers  of  Egypt  are  confessedly  unable  to  pro- 
duce as  well  as  to  remove  this  grievous  and  loathsome  inflic- 
tion; and  hence,  we  may  infer  they  were  equally  unable  to 
call  into  or  bid  out  of  existence  any  other  conceivable  thing. 
Lastly,  their  ready  insinuation  that  this  was  an  event  coming 
from  the  hand  of  providence,  and  not  a  judgment  from  Jeho- 
vah, inflicted  through  his  ministers,  is  accepted  by  Pharoh, 
not  because  it  is  well  founded,  but  because  it  accords  with  his 
wish. 

v.  20. — ch.  ix.  12.  This  passage  contains  the  second  triad 
of  plagues,  in  which  God  acts  without  the  intervention  of  any 
sign  on  the  part  of  his  servants.  In  the  third,  indeed,  Moses 
sprinkles  the  ashes  towards  heaven,  but  still  makes  no  sign 


EXODUS  VITI.  20-32.  7D 

Avith  tlie  rod.  Tluis  it  is  made  plain  tliat  tlio  tnic  wonder- 
Avorker  is  not  tied  to  any  mode  of  introducing  hi.s  wondei-s. 
From  this  time  forward,  also,  a  distinction  is  put  between  the 
Israelites  and  the  Egyptians.  The  former  seem  to  have  been 
]»artial  sufferers  in  the  first  three  plagues.  Tliey  needed  the 
chastisement,  and  their  habitual  attachment  to  the  land  of 
their  birth  was  gradually  abated  by  the  afflictions  thus  asso- 
ciated with  it. 

V.  20-32.  The  plague  of  flies  inflicted.  Rim  up  earhj 
in  the  morning.  This  plague,  like  the  first,  is  announced 
to  Pharoh  in  the  morning,  and  by  the  river's  side.  Leave 
to  depart  is  requested  for  the  people  of  God  as  on  other 
occasions.  Thejii/.  This  term  serves  to  denote  a  kind  of 
insect  that  alights  on  the  skin  or  the  leaves  of  plants,  by  its 
bite  inflicting  pain  in  the  one  case,  and  causing  destruction  in 
the  other.  The  swarms  of  flies  in  Egypt  are  usually  numer- 
ous and  excessively  annoying.  They  alight  on  the  moist 
parts  of  the  eyelids  and  nostrils,  and  inflict  wounds  that 
produce  great  pain,  swelling  and  inflammation.  They  are  also 
ruinous  to  the  plants  in  which  they  lay  their  eggs.  Philo, 
(vit.  Mos,  ii.  p.  110)  describes  the  dog-fly  or  gad-fly  as  a 
grievous  pest  of  Egypt.  Gnats  and  mosquitoes  are  also 
abundant  and  virulent.  A  plague  of  such  creatures  would 
cause  immense  suffering  and  desolation.  Even  the  ground 
idcereon  they  are.  The  whole  land  in  which  the  Egyptians 
dwell  will  be  infested  with  this  fly,  v.  22.  And  I  will  sever ^ 
make  distinct,  and  even  wonderful,  both  of  which  thoughts 
are  implied  in  the  verb.  The  land  of  Goshen  in  which  the 
Israelites  dwell  (stand),  shall  be  free  from  this  and  tlie  follow- 
ing inflictions.  Tluit  thou  mayest  hnoiv.  Everything  God 
does  has  a  lesson  for  the  intelligent  observer.  /  am  the  Lord 
in  the  midst  of  the  land.  As  the  stroke  falls  upon  the 
Egyptians  and  not  on  the  Israelites,  it  is  manifest,  that  it  h:is 
come  from  the  God  of  the  Hebrews ;  2,  that  this  great  Being 
has  equal  power  in  Egypt  as  elsewhere  ;  and  3,  that  therefore 
he  is  Jehovah,  the  Creator  and  Upholder  of  all  things,  the 
one  only  true  and  living  God.  A  division  (nilE),  a  release,  an 
untying  of  the  connexion  between  them.  To-morrow.  At  a 
fixed  point  of  time  shall  this  plague  make  its  appearance. 
Time  for  reflection  is  thus  rriven  to  Pharoh.     The  miraculous 


80  THE  PLAGUE  OF  FLIES. 

nature  of  the  event  is  also  demonstrated.  The  sign.  It  is 
appropriately  called  a"  sign,  as  it  bears  evidence  to  all  the 
important  truths  which  have  been  already  noticed.  A 
grievous  fly,  grievous  on  account  of  its  numbers  and  noxious 
effects.  The  land  was  destroyed.  The  verdure  with  which 
the  earth  was  now  covered  was  seriously  damaged  by  its 
attacks. 

V.  25-32.  The  removal  of  the  fly  on  the  intercession  of 
Moses  and  Aaron.  And  Pharoh  called  Moses  and  Aaron. 
His  conjurors  are  now  no  longer  mentioned.  He  is  compelled 
to  appeal  again  to  the  servants  of  Jehovah.  Go  ye,  sacrifl.ce 
to  your  God  in  the  land.  The  time  for  sacrifice  is  here  con- 
ceded, but  not  the  place.  It  is  not  meet  so  to  do.  It  is  not 
right  in  a  moral  point  of  view.  The  reason  is  assigned  in 
the  following  verse.  The  ahmiination  of  Mizraini  is  either 
that  which  Egypt  abominates,  or  that  which  the  Lord  abo- 
minates in  Egypt.  In  this  case,  as  the  Egyptians  were 
idolaters,  the  two  meanings  in  a  great  measure  coincide.  The 
matter  and  manner  of  the  Hebrew  sacrifice  would  be  an 
abomination  to  the  Egyptian.  The  matter,  for  the  cow  was 
sacred  to  Isis,  the  goat  was  worshipped  by  the  Mendesians, 
the  ram  by  the  Thebans,  and  the  bull  by  the  Memphians  and 
others ;  the  manner,  because  the  minute  and  punctilious 
ritual  of  the  Egyptians  in  regard  to  the  cleanness  of  the 
victims  would  not  be  observed.  The  sacrificing  of  animals 
whom  they  worshipped,  and  without  the  regulations  of  a 
superstitious  purity,  would  prompt  them  to  stone  the  worship- 
pers. On  the  other  hand,  the  bulls  of  Memphis,  of  Heliopolis 
and  of  Hermonthis,  the  ram  of  Thebes,  the  goat  of  Mendes, 
and  the  other  animals  worshipped  by  the  Egyptians,  could 
not  but  be  an  abomination  to  the  holy  and  living  and  true 
God.  V.  27.  As  he  shall  say  unto  us.  The  Lord  had  not 
yet  prescribed  the  manner  of  sacrifice,  but  only  the  place. 
V.  28-80.  Pharoh  now  gives  a  reluctant  permission,  on  which 
Moses  promises  the  removal  of  the  fly  by  his  intercession,  and 
admonishes  Pharoh  not  to  be  false  a  second  time  to  his  word. 
V.  31,  32.  The  Lord  removes  the  fly  at  the  appointed  time, 
(to-morrow)  with  as  much  ease  as  he  had  brought  it.  This  is 
the  second  and   most   decisive  part  of  the  miracle.     Pharoh 


EXODUS  IX.  81 

having  no  moral  principle,  returns  to  liis  obduracy  of  heart  as 
soon  i\s  the  pressure  is  removed. 

Even  creatures  that  came  under  the  designation  of  the  lly 
were  connected  with  the  animal  woi-ship  of  the  Egyptians. 
The  beetle  (scarabeuti)  was  one  of  the  most  common  sacred 
emblems  of  Egypt,  and  represented  the  sun.  'J'he  large  class 
of  diminutive  creatures,  to  which  it  belongs,  is  here  raised  up 
for  the  chastisement  of  the  nation,  and  removed  again  at  the 
intercession  of  Moses.  The  relief  of  the  Israelites  from  the 
plague  was  calculated  to  detach  them  still  more  from  the 
nation  and  territory  of  Egypt,  and  attach  them  with  a  more 
enlightened  confidence  and  veneration  to  the  God  of  their 
fathere. 


VII.    TIIIIID  THREE  PLAGUES. EXOD.  IX.   13 — X. 

CHAP  IX. 5,  PESTILENCE  ;    G,  BOILS  ;    7,  HAIL. 

8.  "•?!■  ])esiilence.  r.  folloiv,  i)ersecute,  destroy.  It  apjilies 
to  men  as  well  as  cattle. 

8.  n^B  ashes,  dust,  aiddXri  (Sep.)  r.  bloiv  aivay.  IvJ'^a  furnace. 
Smelting  furnace,  or  limekiln  (Kimchi).      ll^n  haldng  oven. 

y.  \>'y^  fine  dust,  ov  2^oiuder.     r.  turn,  ivldrl. 

1 0,  T^^  boil,  enflavied  siuelling.  nys^nN  blains,  'pustules  ; 
fiXuxTidi;  (Sep.)  r.  burst  or  gush  forth. 

Tlien  tlie  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pharoh,  and  tell  him, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  Let  my  people  go  and 
serve  me.  2  For  if  thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,  and  wilt  hold  them 
still,  3  Behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  thy  cattle  which  is  in 
the  field,  upon  the  horses,  upon  the  asses,  upon  the  camels,  upon  the 
oxen,  and  upon  the  sheep,  as  a  very  grievous  pestilence.  4  And  the 
Lord  shall  sever  between  the  cattle  of  Israel  and  tlie  cattle  of  Miz- 
raim,  and  nothing  shall  die  of  all  that  belongs  to  the  sons  of  Israel. 
5  And  the  Lord  appointed  a  set  time,  saying.  To-morrow  the  Lord 
shall  do  this  thing  in  the  land.  G  And  the  Lord  did  this  thing  on 
the  morrow,  and  all  the  cattle  of  Mizraini  died  :  hut  of  the  cattle  of 
the  sons  of  Israel  died  not  one.     7  And  Pharoh^sent,  aud,  behold,  not 

F 


82  PESTILENCE,  BOILS,  AND  HAIL. 

even  one  of  the  cattle  of  Israel  was  dead.  And  Pliaroli's  heart  was 
hardened,  and  he  did  not  let  the  people  go.  H  ^^• 

8  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  Take  to  you  the 
hands  full  of  ashes  of  the  furnace,  and  let  Moses  sprinkle  it  toward  the 
sky  in  the  sight  of  Pharoh.  9  And  it  shall  becoroe  dust  in  all  the 
land  of  Mizraim  ;  and  shall  be  a  boil  breaking  forth  with  blains  upon 
man  and  upon  beast  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  10  And  they  took 
ashes  of  the  furnace  and  stood  before  Pharoh,  and  Moses  sprinkled  it 
toward  the  sky ;  and  it  became  a  boil  breaking  forth  with  blains  upon 
man  and  upon  beast.  11  And  the  scribes  could  not  stand  before 
Moses  because  of  the  boil :  for  the  boil  was  upon  the  scribes  and 
upon  all  Mizraim.  12  And  the  Lord  hardened  Pharoh's  heart,  and 
he  hearkened  not  unto  them ;  as  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  Moses. 

§8.         _ 

1 3  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  the  morning 
and  stand  before  Pharoh,  and  say  unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  the  Hebrews,  Let  my  people  go  and  serve  me.  14  For  at  this 
time  I  will  send  aU  my  plagues  into  thy  heart,  and  on  thy  servants, 
and  on  thy  people  ;  that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is  none  like  me 
in  all  the  earth.  15  For  now  I  had  stretched  out  my  hand  and  smit- 
ten thee  and  thy  people  with  the  pestilence ;  and  thou  wouldst  have 
been  cut  off  from  the  earth.  16  But  for  this  have  I  raised  thee  up, 
to  show  thee  my  power,  and  to  declare  my  name  in  all  the  earth.  17 
As  yet  thou  exaltest  thyself  against  my  people,  that  thou  wilt  not  let 
them  go.  18  Behold  at  this  time  to-morrow  I  will  rain  a  very  griev- 
ous hail,  such  as  hath  not  been  in  Mizraim  from  the  day  of  its  founda- 
tion even  until  now.  1 9  Send  now,  therefore,  and  bring  in  thy  cattle 
and  all  that  thou  hast  in  the  field  :  for  upon  every  man  or  beast 
which  is  found  in  the  field,  and  is  not  gathered  into  the  house,  the 
hail  shall  come  down,  and  they  shall  die.  20  He  that  feared  the 
word  of  the  Lord  among  the  servants  of  Pharoh  made  his  servants 
and  his  cattle  flee  into  the  houses.  21  And  he  that  set  not  his  heart 
to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  left  his  servants  and  his  cattle  in  the  field. 

IF  13. 
22  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  forth  thy  hand  toward 
heaven,  and  let  there  be  hail  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim,  upon  man  and 
upon  beast,  and  upon  every  herb  of  the  field  in  the  land  of  Mizraim. 
23  And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  toward  heaven ;  and  the  Lord 
sent  thunder  and  hail,  and  fire  fell  upon  the  earth ;  and  the  Lord 
rained  hail  upon  the  land  of  Mizraim.  24  And  there  was  hail, 
and  fire  flashing  amidst  the  hail,  very  grievous,  such  as  was  not  in 
all  the  land  of  Mizraim  since  it  became  a  nation.  25  And  the  hail 
smote  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim  all  that  was  in  the  field  from  man  to 


EXODUS  IX.  1-7.  83 

beast,  and  the  hail  smoto  every  herb  of  the  field,  and  brake  every 
tree  of  the  field.  20  Only  in  the  land  of  Goshen  where  the  sons  of 
Israel  were,  was  there  no  hail. 

27  And  Pharoh  sent  and  called  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  said  unto 
them,  I  have  sinned  this  time  :  the  Lord  is  rif^hteous,  and  I  and  my 
people  are  wicked.  28  Entreat  the  Lord,  and  let  there  be  no  more 
thunderings  of  God  and  hail :  and  I  will  let  you  go,  and  ye  shall  stay 
no  longer.  20  And  Moses  said  unto  him,  When  I  come  out  of  the 
city,  I  will  spread  abroad  my  hands  unto  the  Loud  :  the  thumlerings 
shall  cease,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  hail,  that  thou  mayest 
know  that  the  earth  is  the  Lord's.  30  And  as  for  thee  and  thy 
servants,  I  know  that  ye  do  not  fear  the  Lord  God.  31  And  the  flax 
and  the  barley  were  smitten  :  for  the  barley  was  in  the  ear,  and  the 
fla.K  was  boiled.  32.  And  the  wheat  and  the  spelt  were  not  smitten, 
for  they  are  late.  33  And  Moses  came  out  of  the  city  from  Pharoh, 
and  spread  abroad  his  hands  to  the  Lord  ;  and  the  thunders  and  hail 
ceased,  and  raiu  was  not  poured  on  the  earth.  34  And  Pharoh  saw 
that  the  rain  and  the  hail  and  the  thunders  were  ceased,  and  he 
ginned  yet  more,  and  hardened  his  heart,  he  and  his  servants.  35 
And  Pharoh's  heart  was  hardened,  neither  did  he  let  the  sons  of 
Israel  go  ;  as  the  Lord  had  spoken  by  the  hand  of  Moses. 

15  m  14. 

In  this  chapter  we  have  the  plagues  of  pestilence,  boils, 
and  liail.  The  first  two  complete  the  second  triad  and  close 
the  section  in  which  they  are  contained. 

V.  1-7.  The  plague  of  pestilence.  Go  in  unto  PJuiroh. 
As  in  the  second  plague  of  the  former  triad  (viii.  1).  And 
wilt  hold  them  still.  This  is  added  to  mark  the  pertinacity  of 
Pharoh,  notwithstanding  the  severe  chastisements  he  had 
already  suffered  for  his  obstinacy,  v.  3.  The  hand  of  the  Lord. 
This  will  be  the  more  manifest,  as  no  waving  of  the  rod  or 
hand  precedes  the  appearance  of  the  miracle.  Ujwn  thy 
cattle  (^}\>P),  a  general  name  for  all  domestic  animals,  that 
constitute  a  great  part  of  the  projjerty  of  a  pastoral  or  agri- 
cultural people.  Which  is  in  the  field.  This  limits  the  extent 
of  the  pestilence  to  the  animals  that  were  in  the  open-air. 
Horses.  The  first  notice  of  these  is  in  Gen.  xlvii.  1  7.  Kgypt 
was  celebrated  for  its  horses,  which  appear  on  its  sculptur&s. 
They  were  employed  in  t])e  chariot  of  war  or  state.  The  ob- 
ject of  worship  at  Memphis,  Heliopolis,  and  Hermonthis  was 


84  PESTILENCE,  BOILS,  AND  HAIL. 

the  hull ;  at  Thebes  the  7mn,  at  Mendes  the  goat.  The 
sheep  here  (JSX)  are  the  small  cattle,  including  the  goats.  Asses 
are  mentioned  on  the  monuments  of  Egypt.  They  were  used 
for  riding  or  draught.  The  Bactrian  camel  has  two  humps,  the 
Arabian  one.  The  latter  was  known  and  employed  on  the 
border  land  between  Egypt  and  Arabia ;  but  has  not  been 
found  on  the  ancient  monuments  of  the  former  country.  Its 
presence  here  favours  the  supposition  that  the  north-east  part 
of  Egypt  was  at  the  time  under  a  dynasty  of  the  Shepherd 
kings,  who  came  from  Arabia.  A  very  grievous  pestilence. 
We  follow  the  original  here  in  using  the  more  general  term, 
pestilence  0^'ij),  as  we  find  it  also  employed  in  reference  to 
the  human  species  (v.  1 5).  The  miracle  consists  in  its  being 
very  grievous,  in  being  sent,  at  an  appointed  time  (v.  5)  and 
in  being  limited  to  the  cattle  of  the  Egyptians.  A  severance 
takes  place  here  as  in  the  preceding  plague  (viii.  22.) 
To-morrow.  A  set  time  of  inflicting  the  stroke  is  as  significant 
of  the  Divine  intervention,  as  a  set  time  of  withdrawing  it 
(viii.  29).  V.  6.  All  the  cattle  of  Mizraim.  This  is  to  be 
limited  to  the  kinds  already  mentioned,  and  also  to  those  of 
them  that  were  in  the  field  (v.  3).  Wilkinson  (Anc.  Eg.  2nd 
series,  v.  I.  p.  96)  informs  us  that  some  animals  were  stall-fed 
among  the  Egyptians.  This  explains  the  limitation,  "  in  the 
field,"  and  the  existence  of  some  cattle  among  the  Egyptians, 
after  the  pestilence  had  done  its  work  (v.  19).  v.  7.  And 
Pharolis  heart  ivas  hardened.  We  may  suppose  that  the 
pestilence  among  the  cattle  did  not  much  affect  him  personally, 
and  that  he  was  irritated  to  find  that  the  cattle  of  the 
Israelites  had  escaped. 

Hitherto  the  plagues  had  given  great  personal  annoyance, 
but  had  not  involved  much  loss  of  property.  But  now  the 
hand  of  the  corrector  comes  down  upon  the  main  branch  of 
the  country's  wealth.  Cattle,  besides  being  a  chief  means  of 
food  and  clothing,  were  employed  by  the  Egyptians  in  tread- 
ing the  seed  into  the  ground,  in  treading  out  the  corn,  and  in 
conveying  the  produce  of  the  country  to  the  place  of  storage. 
The  destruction  of  cattle  was  therefore  a  serious  loss  to  the 
Egyptian  farmer.  The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  manifest  here 
in  distinguishing  the  cattle  of  Israel  from  that  of  Mizraim. 

v.  8-12.  The   plague  of  boils.      This   third  plague  of  the 


EXODUS  IX.  8-12.  85 

second  triad  is  not  announced  to  Pharoh.  Ashes  of  the  fur- 
nace. This  is  taken  to  be  the  fine  ash  or  soot  of  some  of  the 
furnaces  for  tlie  purposes  of  art,  that  stood  in  the  open-air, 
Dasf,  a  fine  powder  floating  in  the  air,  and  pregnant  with 
disease.  A  boil  (ri^')-  This  is  afterwards  mentioned  as 
the  boil  of  Mizm'im,  and  seems  therefore  to  be  an  endemic 
disease.  Vai-ious  conjectures  have  1)een  offered  as  to  its  nature, 
but  none  of  them  is  satisfactory.  The  description  of  it  bears 
some  resemblance  to  elephantiasis,  a  dreadful  form  of  leprosy, 
prevalent  in  Egypt,  so  called  because  it  makes  the  feet  swollen 
and  stiff  like  the  elephant's  feet.  But  this  disease  does  not 
attack  the  bi-ute  creation.  The  scribes  could  ijot  stand  before 
Moses.  At  the  third  plague  the  magicians  of  Pliaroh  failed 
in  their  enchantments,  and  acknowledged  the  finger  of  God. 
At  this  the  second  third,  they  hasten  away  from  Closes  covered 
with  shame  and  humiliation.  The  punctilious  attention  of 
the  Egyptians  to  personal  cleanliness  is  noted  by  Herodotus. 
In  particular,  the  priests  shave  their  whole  body  every  other 
day.  Their  dress  is  entirely  of  linen.  They  bathe  twice 
every  day  in  cold  water,  and  twice  each  night  (Herod.  II.  37). 
Their  confusion  and  distress  therefore  must  have  been  great 
to  find  themselves  now  covered  with  an  eruptive  disease, 
that  mocked  all  their  precautions,  and  rendered  them  unfit 
for  their  sacerdotal  duties.  And  the  Lord  hardened  Pharoh' s 
heart.  Here  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  very  means  that 
would  have  brought  an  unbiassed  and  unclouded  mind  to 
conviction  and  submission,  only  begat  a  stolid  and  infatuated 
obstinacy  in  the  monarch  of  Egypt.  The  course  of  the  divine 
interposition  has  been  one  of  uniform  mildness  and  forbear- 
ance, only  proceeding  to  judicial  chastisements  when  ncgocia- 
tion  would  not  avail,  and  advancing  gradually  to  severer 
mea.sures  only  wlien  the  more  gentle  were  disregarded.  His 
obiluracy  is  now  come  to  such  a  pitch  of  stupidity,  that  we 
cannot  catch  a  shadow  of  reason  for  his  conduct. 

Hitlierto  the  Lord  has  tried  to  move  the  heart  of  the  king 
by  a  sei'ies  of  external  privations  and  penalties.  The  want  of 
water,  the  presence  of  a  loathsome  reptile,  the  creeping  and 
biting  of  a  nauseous  insect,  the  fierce  stinging  of  the  fiy  swarm, 
and  the  I0.SS  occasioned  by  the  pestilence  among  the  cattle, 
have  been  all  in  vain.     Now  the  life  is  menaced.     A  boil 


86  THE  HAIL  THREATENED. 

breaking  out  in  blains  or  open  sores,  has  fallen  upon  man  and 
beast.  We  may  be  sure  that  the  sacred  animals  that  were 
objects  of  worship  would  not  escape  this  plague  ;  and  we  may 
imagine  what  consternation  this  would  create  throughout  all 
Egypt. 

This  closes  the  second  section  relating  to  the  plagues. 
Allowing  a  week  for  each  of  the  six  plagues  already  recorded, 
and  twenty  days  for  the  previous  transactions,  we  are  brought 
to  the  3rd  of  March  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  plague. 

ch.  ix.  13 — X.  This  section  contains  the  record  of  the 
next  three  plagues,  the  hail,  the  locusts,  and  the  darkness. 
These  rise  in  terrific  severity  above  all  that  precede 
them. 

V.  13-21.  The  hail  threatened.  As  usual  in  the  first  of 
each  triad,  Moses  is  to  meet  Pharoh  at  the  usual  time,  and 
probably  in  the  usual  place,  to  demand  the  release  of  the 
people,  and  announce  the  immediate  consequence  of  refusal. 
All  my  plagues.  This  expression  occurring  in  the  announce- 
ment of  the  first  of  another  three,  is  an  indication  of  the 
ternary  arrangement.  It  refers  to  all  the  following  manifesta- 
tions of  the  divine  power,  at  least  to  those  which  form  the 
third  series  of  plagues.  Into  thy  heart.  By  the  following 
judgments  Pharoh  will  be  at  length  brought  to  feel  in  his 
heart  the  folly  and  guilt  of  resisting  the  Almighty.  None 
like  me  in  all  the  earth.  The  Egyptians,  like  the  other 
Gentiles,  had  now  wandered  away  from  the  true  notion  con- 
cerning God  which  had  come  down  from  their  forefathers. 
The  false  gods,  fashioned  after  the  vain  fancies  of  a  disorderly 
imagination,  bore  no  moral  resemblance  to  the  true  God. 
Pharoh  is  now  to  learn  this  great  fact  in  his  experience,  if  not 
in  his  understanding  and  his  heart.  /  had  stretched  out  'my 
hand.  I  might  have  smitten  thee  and  thy  people  with  the 
pestilence,  as  easily  as  I  smote  thy  cattle ;  and  thou  wouldest 
have  been  annihilated,  thyself  and  all  thy  opposition  to  my 
reasonable  demands.  The  Lord  here  gives  us  some  insight 
into  the  theory  of  his  admiuisti'ation.  It  is  instructive,  cor- 
rective, and  in  the  last  resort  punitive ;  but  in  no  case  merely 
destructive  of  moral  agents.  He  that  would  sweep  into  in- 
stant annihilation  all  the  opponents  of  his  will  has  no  idea  of 


EXODUS  IX.  22-2G.  87 

God's  principle  of  action  or  mode  of  dealing  witli  his  rational 
creatures.  Not  even  a  particle  of  irrational  matter  is  bidden 
out  of  existence  by  the  great  God  who  called  it  into  being. 
Still  less  will  his  moral  and  responsible  creatures  be  sent  out 
of  existence,  or  at  once  forced  into  submission  by  the  high 
hand  of  an  irresistible  despotism.  He  will  approach  them 
with  love,  with  reason,  with  justice.  Only  when  such  methods 
fail,  will  he  have  recourse  to  a  patient  and  duly  tempered 
correction.  And  Pharoh  will  be  an  example  to  all  contem- 
porary nations,  and  through  the  books  of  Moses  to  all  succeed- 
ing generations,  of  the  mercy,  patience,  forbearance,  justice, 
and  holiness  of  God.  But  for  this  have  I  raised  thee  up, 
not  stricken  thee  down  with  the  pestilence,  but  preserved 
thee  from  it  in  ray  long-suffering  patience.  To  show  thee  my 
iwiccr.  To  convince  thee  while  thou  livest,  and  there  is  yet 
time  to  repent,  if  thou  wilt  be  convinced,  of  my  power,  my 
etenial  power  and  godhead,  in  contrast  with  all  impotent  and 
imaginary  gods  in  whom  thou  hast  heretofore  trusted.  And 
to  declare  iny  name  in  all  the  earth,  to  make  thy  history  a 
perpetual  lesson  for  the  instruction  of  all  mankind  in  the 
knowledge  of  my  name,  my  real  nature,  which  has  come  to 
be  so  grievously  and  fatally  misai)p]ehended.  As  yet  thou 
exaltest  thyself.  Thou  still  persistest  in  thy  haughty  re- 
fusal. There  is  a  sublime  dignity  in  the  continued  modera- 
tion which  this  expostulation  displays. 

V.  17-21.  At  this  time  to-morrotu.  Pharoh  might  have 
learned  by  this  time  that  the  Lord  is  punctual  to  his  time. 
A  very  grievous  hail.  Showers  of  hail  in  the  winter  season 
were  not  unknown  in  Egypt,  as  even  the  present  passage  in- 
forms us.  But  this  is  to  be  such  as  had  not  been  since  Egypt 
was  founded,  that  is,  since  it  became  a  nation  (v.  24').  Send 
noiu,  therefore,  and  bring  in  thy  cattle.  The  Lord  here  re- 
members mercy,  and  leaves  an  opening  for  faith  to  assert 
itself.  He  looks  for  believers  even  among  the  Egyptians. 
And  he  did  not  look  in  vain.  This  warning  divided  them 
intx)  two  classes,  the  one  fearing  the  Lord,  and  the  other  still 
disregarding  him. 

V.  22-26.  On  the  moiTow  the  performance  comes.  Stretch 
forth  thy  hand,  with  the  wand  of  power  (v.  23).  Moses  is 
described  as  the  agent  in   these  three  plagues   (x.   12,   21). 


88  PHAROH  CONFESSES  HIS  SIN. 

Thunder,  voices  (^^?),  voices  of  God,  as  Pharoh  expresses  it 
(v.  28).  The  primitive  mind  regarded  the  thunder  p6al  as 
the  subliraest  utterance  of  the  God  of  nature.  Philosophy 
and  theology  alike  bow  to  the  solemn  sentiment  that  the. 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God.  The  thunder  is  but  one 
note  in  the  great  accord  of  universal  nature  in  which  he 
speaks  to  us  of  himself  Fire  fell  upon  the  earth,  the  light- 
ning flash,  of  which  the  thunder  clap  was  the  accompaniment. 
Flashing,  darting  suddenly  and  seizing  upon  its  object.  S^note 
every  herb,  and  brake  every  tree.  The  lightning  and  hail  that 
killed  every  man  and  beast  were  suflicient  to  destroy  the  green 
leaves  and  stalks  of  the  herbs,  and  the  branches  as  well  as 
foliage  of  the  trees.  Only  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  Here 
again  Israel  is  exempted  from  the  effects  of  this  judgment,  as 
we  have  no  doubt  they  were  from  the  preceding  one,  though 
it  be  not  mentioned. 

V.  27-30.  Pharoh  is  again  overwhelmed  by  this  judgment 
and  for  the  third  time  promises  submission.  I  have  sinned 
this  time.  Now  at  length  I  acknowledge  that  I  have  sinned. 
The  loss  of  his  servants  and  cattle  with  the  awful  lightnings 
and  thunderings,  brings  a  dawning  conviction  into  his  mind 
that  God  is  right  and  he  is  wrong.  The  expression  of  this  in 
words  is  needed  after  having  twice  asked  and  obtained  re- 
mission and  as  often  falsified  his  word.  Let  there  be  no  more 
thunderings  of  God.  Let  it  be  enough  (3"})  and  no  more  of 
these  awful  voices.  And  ye  shall  stay  no  longer.  A  pro- 
mise of  immediate  dismissal.  True  to  his  character  of  giving 
heed  to  the  latest  and  feeblest  appeal  to  his  mercy,  the  Lord 
is  ready  to  withdraw  his  heavy  hand.  When  I  come  out  of 
the  city.  We  learn  here  incidentally  that  Pharoh  dwelt  in  a 
city.  The  probability  is  in  favour  of  On  or  Bubastis  from 
their  proximity  to  the  Nile  and  the  situation  of  the  Israelites. 
That  thou  mayest  know  that  the  earth  is  the  Lord's.  Another 
proof  of  this  great  fact  is  to  be  afforded  to  Pharoh,  if  he  have 
only  the  heart  to  understand  the  lesson,  v.  30.  J  knoiv 
that  ye  do  not  fear  the  Lord  God.  Moses  has  learned  much 
since  he  entered  upon  the  task  of  delivering  the  Lord's  people. 
He  can  now  speak  with  fluency  and  precision.  The  Lord 
hns  enabled  him  to  judge  of  the  character  of  Pharoh  and  his 
courl.     Here  for  the  first  time  since  Gen.  ii.  3  have  we  Jehovah 


EXODUS  IX.  31-35.  89 

fallowed  by  Elohim  in  the  absolute  fonii.  Tliis  is  not  with- 
out its  significance.  The  grand  primeval  tioith  that  the  God 
of  tlio  Hebrews  is  the  absolute  and  eternal  God  (°^'?''^.)  antece- 
dent to  all  creation  and  theretbre  the  only  Creator  and 
Upholder  of  heaven  and  earth  (p]'^])  has  been  presented  in  the 
most  conspicuous  manner  to  the  mind  of  Pharoh.  Moses 
therefore  seasonably  intimates  by  the  juxtajjosition  of  the  two 
names  that  Jehovah,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  is  no  local  or 
national  God,  but  the  sole  and  absolute  God.  He  at  the  same 
time  intimates  that  the  mere  acknowledgment  of  this  vital 
truth  in  words  is  not  suflicient.  It  is  tlie  acknowledgment 
of  the  heart  only  that  will  influence  the  conduct  and  issue  in 
spontaneous  obedience  to  the  will  of  God. 

V.  31-35.  The  remission  effected.  The  ffax  and  the  barley. 
Egyjjt  was  celebrated  for  its  linen.  Its  mummies  we  find 
swathed  in  this  fabric.  Barley  was  extensively  sown  in  this 
country,  and  was  used  for  feeding  cattle,  and  making  bread 
and  a  kind  of  ale.  The  sowing  time  was  in  October  and 
November.  The  flax  and  barley  were  ripe  about  the  end  of 
March,  and  therefore  the  one  was  in  the  ear  and  the  other 
boiled  about  the  beginningr  of  that  month.  The  luheat  and 
the  spelt.  Egypt  was  most  prolific  in  wheat,  which  was  often 
seven-headed,  and  yielded  a  hundred  fold.  It  was  in  some 
measure  the  granaiy  of  the  ancient  world,  as  well  as  the  great 
mart  for  flax  or  linen.  Rye  was  not  a  grain  cultivated  in 
Egypt,  as  it  belongs  to  colder  countries.  The  grain  here 
rendered  spelt  may  have  been  that  which  is  now  known  as 
doora.  These  grains  ripened  a  month  later  than  the  barley 
and  flax.  This  crop  was  therefore  only  injured  not  destroyed 
by  the  hail.  He  sinned  yet  more.  Pharoh  had  confessed  his 
sin,  but  it  appears  that  this  confession  was  extorted  from  hini 
not  by  a  penitent  heart,  but  by  an  overpowering  terror,  v.  30. 
A  s  the  Lord  Jmd  spoken  by  the  hand  of  Moses.  This  announce- 
ment of  Moses  (v.  30)  was  calculated  to  convince  Pharoh,  if 
he  had  been  disposed  to  give  heed  to  it,  that  he  with  whom 
he  had  to  do  was  the  searcher  of  heai'ts  and  could  not  be  de- 
ceived by  a  hypocritical  pi-etenca 

By  this  act  of  judgment  a  moiety  of  the  crop  of  Egypt  was 
destroyed,  while  the  minds  of  Pharoh  and  his  courtiera  were 
evidently  awe-struck  by  the  thunder  storm.     It  is  manifest 


90  LOCUSTS  AND  DARKNESS. 

that  the  Lord  is  step  by  step  advancing  to  the  universal 
desolation  of  Egypt.  The  supernatural  character  of  this  storm 
is  demonstrated  by  its  coming  at  the  time  predicted,  ceasing 
at  the  intercession  of  Moses,  and  confining  itself  to  the  land 
of  the  Egyptians. 


CHAP.  X.  8,  LOCUSTS  ;    AND    9,  DARKNESS. 

4.  1^?"]^  locust.  This  is  so  called  from  its  numbers,  r. 
be  Tnany.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  gryllus  gregarius,  or 
passage-locust. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pharoh  :  for  I  have 
hardened  his  heart  and  the  heart  of  his  servants,  that  I  may  put  these 
my  signs  upon  him.  2  And  that  thou  mayest  tell  in  the  ears  of  thy 
son,  and  of  thy  son's  sou,  that  which  I  wrought  in  Mizraim,  and 
my  signs  which  I  put  upon  them ;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am 
the  Lord.  3  And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  unto  Pharoh,  and  said 
unto  him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  G-od  of  the  Hebrews,  How  long 
dost  thou  refuse  to  humble  thyself  before  me  1  let  my  people  go  and 
serve  me.  4  For  if  thou  refuse  to  let  my  people  go,  behold,  to-morrow 
Avill  I  bring  the  locust  into  thy  border.  5  And  they  shall  cover  the 
face  of  the  land,  so  that  one  cannot  see  the  land,  and  they  shall  eat 
the  residue  of  that  which  is  escaped,  which  remained  unto  you  from 
the  hail,  and  shall  eat  every  tree  which  groweth  for  you  out  of  the  field : 
6  And  they  shall  fill  thy  houses  and  the  houses  of  all  thy  servants, 
and  the  houses  of  all  Mizraim ;  which  neither  thy  fathers  nor  thy 
father's  fathers  have  seen  since  the  day  that  they  were  upon  tJie  ground 
unto  this  day.     And  he  turned  and  went  out  from  Pharoh. 

7  And  Pharoh's  servants  said  unto  him,  How  long  shall  this  man 
be  a  snare  unto  us  1  Let  the  men  go  and  serve  the  Lord  their 
God  :  knowest  thou  not  yet  tliat  Mizraim  is  destroyed  1  8  And  Moses 
and  Aaron  were  brought  back  unto  Pharoh,  and  he  said  unto  them, 
Go,  serve  the  Lord  your  God  :  who  are  they  that  go  1  9  And  Moses 
said.  With  our  young  and  with  our  old  will  we  go  ;  with  our  sons  and 
with  our  daughters,  with  our  flocks  and  with  our  herds  will  we  go  : 
for  we  hold  a  feast  unto  the  Lord.  10  And  he  said  unto  them.  The 
Lord  be  so  with  you,  as  I  will  let  you  and  your  little  ones  go  :  look  ye 
that  evil  is  before  you.  1 1  Not  so  :  go  now  ye  men  and  serve  the 
Lord  ;  for  that  ye  did  deshe.  And  they  were  driven  out  from  Pharoh's 
presence.  §  9 


CHAPTER  X.  91 

12  Aiul  the  Lord  said  unto  !Moscs,  Stretch  out  tliy  liand  over  tho 
land  of  ^lizraini  for  the  locust,  and  they  shall  come  up  on  the  land  of 
Mirzaim  ;  and  eat  every  herb  of  the  land,  all  that  the  hail  hath  left. 
13  And  Closes  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  land  of  Mizraim  ;  and 
the  Lord  sent  an  east  wind  upon  tho  land  all  that  day  and  all  tho 
night  :  tho  morning  came  and  the  east  wind  brought  the  locusts.  14 
And  the  locusts  came  up  over  all  the  land  of  Mizraim,  and  rested  in 
all  the  border  of  Mizraim  :  veiy  grievous  were  they,  before  them  were 
no  such  locusts  as  they,  neither  after  them  shall  be  such,  15  And 
they  covered  the  face  of  tho  whole  land,  and  the  land  was  darkened  ; 
and  they  ate  every  herb  of  tho  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of  the  trees  which 
the  hail  had  left  :  and  there  remained  not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees 
or  in  the  herbs  of  the  field  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim. 

IG  Then  Pharoh  hastened  to  call  Moses  and  Aaron  :  and  he  said,  I 
have  sinned  against  the  Lord  your  God,  and  against  you.  17  And 
now  forgive,  I  pray,  my  sin  only  this  once,  and  entreat  the  Lord  your 
God  ;  and  let  him  take  away  from  me  this  death  only.  18  And  he 
came  out  from  Pharoh  and  entreated  the  Lord.  19  And  the  Lord 
turned  a  very  strong  west  Avind,  and  took  away  tho  locusts  and  cast 
them  into  the  Eed  Sea  :  there  remained  not  one  locust  in  all  the  border 
of  Mizraim.  20  And  the  Lord  hardened  Pharoh's  heart,  and  he  did 
not  let  the  sons  of  Israel  go.  IF  ^^ 

21  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thy  hand  toward 
the  sky,  and  let  there  be  darkness  over  the  land  of  Mizraim  ;  and  let  the 
darkness  be  felt.  22  And  ISIoses  stretched  out  his  hand  toward  the 
sky  :  and  there  was  a  thick  darkness  in  all  the  land  of  ^Mizraim 
three  days.  23  They  saw  not  one  another,  neither  rose  any  from 
his  place  for  three  days  :  and  all  the  sons  of  Israel  had  light  in  their 
dwellings.  24  And  Pharoh  called  Moses  and  said,  Go  ye,  serve  the 
Lord  ;  only  your  flocks  and  your  herds  shall  be  stayed  :  even  your 
little  ones  may  go  with  you.  25  And  Closes  said.  Thou  must  also  give 
into  our  hand  sacrifices  and  burnt-offerings,  and  we  shall  sacrifice  unto 
the  Lord  our  God.  26  Our  cattle  then  also  shall  go  with  us,  not  a 
hoof  shall  be  left  behind ;  for  thereof  must  we  take  to  serve  the  Lord 
our  God  :  and  we  know  not  with  what  wo  shall  serve  the  Lord  until 
wo  go  thither.  27  And  the  Lord  hanlened  Pharoh's  heart,  and  he 
would  not  let  them  go.  28  And  Pharoh  said  unto  him,  Get  thee 
from  me  :  take  heed  to  thyself,  see  my  face  no  more,  for  in  the  day 
thou  seest  my  face,  thou  shalt  die.  29  And  Moses  said,  Well  hast 
thou  spoken ;  I  will  see  thy  lace  no  more.  H  1 G 

This  chapter  completes  the  record  of  the  third  group  of 
plagues. 


92  LOCUSTS  AND  DARKNESS.  ' 

V,  1-20.  The  plague  of  locusts.  Go  in  unto  Pharoh,  into 
Lis  palace  in  the  city,  as  in  the  second  of  each  series  (viii.  1, 
ix.  1).  For  I  have  hardened  his  heart.  A  mode  of  treat- 
ment calculated  to  have  a  salutary  effect  on  a  reasonable 
mind  has  produced  an  opposite  effect  on  a  proud  and  un- 
reasonable temper.  That  I  may  init  these  my  signs  upon 
him.  To  put  here  (IT'C')  is  to  set  before  the  view  of  all  for 
their  instruction.  In  him  (13"iip3)  means  in  his  inmost  expe- 
rience, so  as  to  touch  his  feelings  to  the  quick  (ix.  14).  A7id 
that  thou  mayest  tell.  These  marvels  of  Egypt  are  to  be  a 
lesson  not  only  for  the  present,  but  for  all  future  generations, 
who  may  hearken  to  the  recollections  of  their  fathers,  or  read 
the  books  of  Moses.  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord. 
The  grand  scope  of  all  these  signs  was  to  reveal  the  Creator 
in  His  true  character  to  man.  This  is  the  lesson  of  nature, 
of  providence,  and  of  grace,  to  those  who  read  and  understand. 
V.  3.  Hotv  long  dost  thou  refuse  to  humble  thyself  before  me  ? 
Eight  signs,  one  of  them  instructive  and  seven  corrective,  had 
already  been  given  to  him.  His  haughtiness  of  spirit  is  not 
subdued ;  to  humble  himself  even  before  God  he  has  not  yet 
learned,  v.  4.  The  locust.  The  descriptions  of  Joel  (Jo.  i.  ii.) 
and  many  other  eye-witnesses,  have  made  us  familiar  with 
the  locust  and  its  desolating  progress.  The  class  to  which 
they  belong  is  described  by  Moses  in  Lev.  xi.  21,  23,  and 
four  species,  including  the  one  here  mentioned  (i^^"}^)  are  pro- 
nounced clean  and  edible.  The  native  place  of  the  locust  is 
the  south  of  Asia  and  the  parts  of  Africa  south  and  west  of 
Egypt.  These  insects  are  about  three  or  four  inches  long, 
have  four  wings  and  four  feet,  the  hind  legs  being  adapted 
for  springing.  They  resemble  in  form  the  common  grass- 
hopper. The  locust,  after  leaving  the  egg,  exists  in  three 
states — the  larva,  the  pupa,  and  the  perfect  insect.  The  larva 
has  no  wings,  the  pupa  has  only  the  rudiments  of  them,  and 
they  are  fully  developed  only  in  the  perfect  insect.  Of  these 
three  the  larva  is  the  most  voracious.  They  breed  in  October, 
laying  each  about  300  eggs,  which  they  bury  in  the  ground. 
They  make  their  appearance  in  March  or  April,  when  the 
verdure  is  on  the  gi'ound.  Their  numbers  are  immense,  and 
in   their  flight  they  are  said  to  cover  thousands  of  square 


EXODUS  X.  7-11.  93 

miles,  and  consume  every  green  thing  where  they  alight. 
They  arc  used  as  food,  being  either  cooked  whole  or  ground 
into  meal.  Into  thy  border.  They  came  into  Egypt,  generally 
from  the  south,  hut  also  from  the  east.  v.  5.  The  face  of  the 
land.  The  eye  (pV)  of  the  land  is  the  surface  which  looks  as 
it  were  towards  us.  That  ivhich  remaineth  unto  you  from 
the  hail,  the  wheat,  and  the  spelt,  the  other  moiety  of  the 
crop,  and  whatsoever  fruit  was  left  on  the  trees,  v.  G.  Th(  y 
shall  fill  thy  houses  (Joel  ii.  9).  They  consume  every  thing 
that  comes  before  them  in  the  house  as  well  as  in  the  field, 
117iic7t  neither  thy  fathers.  The  miracle  consists  in  the  extra- 
ordinary number,  size,  and  destructiveness  of  these  insects,  as 
well  as  in  their  coming  and  going  according  to  the  word  of 
Moses. 

V.  7-11.  The  suggestion  of  Pharoh's  servants.  How  long 
shall  this  man  be  a  snare  ?  A  pitfall  of  inevitable  destruc- 
tion to  us.  The  magicians  and  other  courtiers  of  Pharoh 
understand  the  state  of  matters  better  than  himself.  Let  the 
inen  go.  Let  this  people  depart.  They  feel  that  they  cannot 
contend  with  omnipotence.  Knoiuest  thou  not  yet  ?  The 
sovereign,  especially  if  he  be  despotic,  is  often  the  last  to 
learn  the  wretchedness  of  his  country ;  as  it  may  be  at  the 
risk  of  life  that  his  servants  venture  to  hint  at  so  unwelcome 
tidings.  Pharoh  seems  to  have  been  in  a  great  measure 
unconscious  of  the  ruin  of  Egypt.  He  now  condescends  to 
ask  who  shall  go  ?  a  question  that  should  have  been  proposed 
at  the  very  first.  Moses  promptly  replies  that  all  must  go, 
as  it  was  a  feast,  a  solemn  assembly  of  the  whole  nation 
before  the  Lord.  Look  ye  that  evil  is  before  you.  Pharoh, 
refusing  to  let  go  "the  little  ones" — a  phrase  including  the 
young  of  both  sexes,  and  implying  tlic  full-grown  women,  Avarns 
them  that  "  evil  is  before  them."  This  may  mean  either  that 
evil  is  in  store  for  them,  or  that  evil  is  in  their  minds.  The  former 
is  a  menace  of  the  effects  of  his  displeasure,  if  they  insisted  on  all 
going ;  the  latter  a  charge  of  forming  a  design  of  leaving  the 
country.  The  former  is  more  in  keeping  with  the  expression, 
"  Look  ye."  The  men  alone  are  allowed  to  go,  and  witli  this 
concession  they  are  di'iven  out  or  ignominiously  dismissed. 
Pharoh  has  become  more  irritable  and  violent  in  his  manner. 

V.  1 2-1 5.  The  locusts  sent.  The  Lord  raised  an  cast  wind. 
An  east  wind,  in  common  phrase,  means  any  wind  from  the 


94  LOCUSTS  AND  DARKNESS. 

sun-rising,  though  it  may  be  a  good  many  points  north  or 
south.  This  indicates  merely  that  the  present  swarm  of 
locusts  came  not  from  Ethiopia  or  Lybia,  but  from  Arabia. 
All  that  day  and  all  the  night.  The  locust  appeared  in  the 
morning,  and  therefore  may  have  come  from  a  considerable 
distance.  "  Before  them,"  or  "  after  them,"  were  no  such 
locusts.  This  statement  applies  to  Egypt,  and  refers  to  the 
extraordinary  extent  of  the  present  visitation.  The  land  vjas 
darkened.  It  is  said  that  the  locust  swarm,  like  an  opaque 
cloud,  intercepts  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  leaves  the  earth  in 
darkness  (Plin.  H.  N.  ii.  29).  There  remained  not  any  green 
thing.  What  the  hail  had  left,  the  locusts  devoured,  and 
the  land  was  left  desolate,  a  waste  and  a  void  (in^l  ^in),  desti- 
tute alike  of  the  vegetation  which  adorns  and  furnishes  it, 
and  of  the  cattle  which  form  a  part  of  its  inhabitants  (Gen.  i. 
2,  Jer.  iv.  2y). 

v.  ]  6-20.  The  locusts  removed.  And  Pharoh  hastened  to 
call.  The  awful  nature  of  this  devastation  strikes  terror  to 
the  heart  of  Pharoh.  His  will  also  has  become  more  restless 
and  liable  to  sudden  change.  I  have  sinned.  This  is  the 
second  confession  of  sin,  and  the  fourth  time  he  has  been  led 
to  entreaty.  This  death  only.  Death  only  seems  now  to 
await  the  Egyptians,  as  their  crop  has  been  destroyed  and 
their  cattle  have  been  greatly  diminished.  A  very  strong 
west  wind.  A  moderately  blowing  east  wind  carried  the 
locusts  in  safety  over  the  Red  Sea  into  Egypt.  A  storm  or 
hurricane  sweeps  them  out  of  the  country  and  precipitates 
them  into  the  waters.  This  is  the  usual  history  of  these 
insects.  A  wind  of  the  sea,  that  is  the  Mediterranean,  taken 
as  a  whole,  though  due  west  of  Palestine,  would  be  north-west 
of  the  Delta,  especially  the  eastern  part  of  it,  and,  therefore, 
exactly  fitted  to  carry  the  locusts  to  the  Red  Sea.  And  the 
Lord  hardened  PharoKs  heart.  The  very  long-suffering  of 
the  Lord  only  adds  to  the  infatuation  of  his  ingrate  heart. 

v.  21-29.  The  plague  of  darkness.  This  is  the  third  of 
this  series  and  as  usual  no  announcement  of  it  is  made  to 
Pharoh.  Let  the  darkness  he  felt ;  a  strong  figure  to  describe 
the  intensity  of  this  darkness.  Similar  is  "  a  thick  darkness," 
literally  a  darkness  of  gloom.  Three  days.  The  only  natural 
phenomenon  resembling    this    darkness    is    the    Simoom    or 


CHAPTER  X.  21-29.  95 

Clianisin,  wliicli  is  a  hot  wind  rising  altout  tlie  vernal  equinox 
and  blowing  for  about  three  days.  It  rises  often  to  a  storm, 
imparts  a  yellow  dimness  to  the  air,  and  raises  such  a  quantity 
of  dust  as  to  have  a  stifling  effect  and  produce  a  sondjre  gloom. 
During  these  days  the  inhabitants  are  wont  to  descend  to  the 
lowest  rooms  of  their  houses  or  hide  themselves  in  pits  and 
caverns  in  order  to  avoid  the  inconvenience  and  danger  that 
attend  this  tempest.  This  darkness  differs,  however,  from 
the  Simoom  in  these  essential  points  :  that  it  is  intense  in  its 
degree,  that  it  falls  upon  the  land  at  the  will  of  Moses,  and 
that  it  does  not  extend  to  the  region  where  the  Israelites 
dwelt.  After  all  the  disasters  that  had  just  befallen  the  land 
we  may  imagine  the  dismay  and  terror  that  total  darkness 
Avould  produce  in  the  minds  of  the  Eg3'ptians.  It  was 
equivalent  to  a  universal  blindness  which  would  unfit  the 
nation  for  making  any  effort  to  attend  to  the  business  of  life 
or  provide  for  its  continuance.  In  case  of  its  perpetuation 
they  could  only  await  in  despair  the  slow  approach  of  death 
by  starvation.  Pharoh  quails  before  the  appalling  darkness. 
He  yields  another  point.  The  women  and  children  may  go 
with  the  men,  but  not  the  flocks  and  the  herds.  Moses,  how- 
ever, cannot  go  to  hold  a  national  festival  unto  the  Lord 
without  sacrifices.  Not  a  hoof  of  their  cattle  must  be  left 
behind.  Pharoh  is  again  exasperated.  His  proud  heart  be- 
comes hard  as  the  nether  millstone.  A  reckless  madness  takes 
possession  of  him.  He  forbids  Moses  to  appear  before  him 
again  on  pain  of  death.  There  is  something  ominous  in  the 
reply  of  Moses.  "  Well  hast  thou  spoken  ;  I  will  see  thy  ffice 
no  more."  He  means,  as  we  shall  see,  more  than  is  here 
expressed. 

There  is  an  awful  significance  in  this  plague  of  darkness. 
The  sun  was  a  leading  object  of  adoration  among  the  Egyptians 
under  the  name  of  Osiris.  The  very  name  Pharoh  means  not 
only  the  king  but  also  the  sun,  and  characterises  the  king 
him.self  as  the  representative  of  the  sun  and  entitled  in  some 
sort  to  divine  honours.  But  now  the  very  light  of  the  sun 
has  disappeared  and  primeval  chaos  seems  to  have  returned. 
Thus  all  the  forms  of  Egjqjtian  wiU- worship  have  been  covered 
with  shame  and  confusion  in  those  nine  plagues. 

Allowing  a  week  for  each  of  the  two  previous  plagues,  and 


96  DEATH  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN  CHILDREN". 

four  days  for  this  one,  we  are  brought  to  the  21st  of  March, 
and  perhaps  to  the  eve  of  that  night  on  which  the  paschal 
lamb  was  eaten  and  the  first  born  of  Egypt  were  slain.  The 
narrative  becomes  now  excited  and  abrupt  as  the  great  crisis 
approaches. 


VIII.    THE  TENTH  PLAGUE.       PASSOVER.      EX.  XL  XIL 
CHAP.  XL  1  0,    DEATH  OF  FIRST-BORN  THREATENED. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Yet  one  plague  will  I  bring  upon 
Pharoh  and  upon  Mizraim ;  afterwards  he  Avill  let  you  go  hence  :  when 
he  shall  let  you  go  altogether,  he  shall  actually  thrust  you  out  hence. 
2  Speak  now  in  the  ears  of  the  people  ;  and  let  them  ask  every  man 
of  his  neighbour,  and  every  woman  of  her  neighbour,  jewels  of  silver 
and  jewels  of  gold.  3  And  the  Lord  gave  the  people  favour  in  the 
eyes  of  Mizraim  :  moreover  the  man  Moses  was  very  great  in  tlie 
land  of  Mizraim  in  the  eyes  of  Pharoh's  servants,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people. 

4  And  Moses  said,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  About  midnight  will  I 
come  out  into  the  midst  of  Mizraim.  5  And  all  the  first-born  in  the 
land  of  Mizraim  shall  die,  from  the  first-born  of  Pharoh  that  sitteth 
upon  his  throne  unto  the  first-born  of  the  maid-servant  that  is  behind 
the  mill ;  and  all  the  first-born  of  beasts.  6  And  there  shall  be  a 
great  cry  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim,  the  like  of  which  has  not  been, 
and  the  like  shall  not  again  be.  7  And  against  any  of  the  sons  of 
Israel  shall  not  a  dog  move  his  tongue,  from  man  to  beast :  that  ye  may 
know  that  the  Lord  doth  sever  between  Mizraim  and  Israel.  8  And 
all  these  thy  servants  shall  come  down  unto  me  and  bow  down  to  me, 
saying,  Go  out  thou  and  all  the  people  that  follow  thee  ;  and  after  that 
I  wOl  go  out.     And  he  went  out  from  Pharoh  in  great  wrath.    §  11 

9  So  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Pharoh  shall  not  hearken  unto 
you,  that  my  wonders  may  be  multiplied  in  the  land  of  Mizraim.  1 0 
And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  aU  these  wonders  before  Pharoh :  and  the 
Lord  hardened  Pharoh's  heart,  and  he  did  not  let  the  sons  of  Israel  go 
out  of  his  land.  §  12 

The  section  now  before  us  recounts  the  tenth  and  last  stroke 
inflicted  on  Pharoh  and  his  people,  and  in  essential  connec- 
tion therewith  the  institution  of  the  Passover.     In  the  ele- 


Exop.  XI.  V.  l-H.  97 

ventli  chapter  the  aiuionncement  of  the  slaying  of  the  first- 
born is  made,  as  the  hist  words  of  Moses  to  Pharoli. 

V.  1-3.  There  was  in  the  words  of  Moses  at  the  close 
of  the  last  chapter  a  foreboding  of  something  not  explicitly 
stated.  This  is  a  plain  indication  that  another  line  of  events 
w;\s  going  on  concurrently  with  that  which  the  historian  was 
encjajxed  in  narrating:.  While  the  long  train  of  interviews  and 
transactions  with  Pharoh  has  been  passing,  we  are  not  to 
suppose  that  the  communication  of  Moses  with  his  own  kin- 
dred and  people,  opened  on  his  return  fromMidian(iv.  29-3 l,vi. 
1-0),  wjis  entirely  suspended.  On  the  other  hand  we  are  to 
presume  that  the  whole  of  the  instructions  given  to  Moses 
(iii.  G-22),  together  with  the  signs  of  his  Divine  authority 
(iv.  1-9),  were  in  due  time,  and  with  full  explanations,  laid  before 
the  people  ;  that  when  the  first  barbarities  of  Pharoh  were  re- 
laxed, these  messages  from  heaven  received  a  respectful  hearing, 
and  that  when  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  repeatedly  displayed 
in  inllicting  chastisements  on  the  Egyptians  from  which  they 
themselves  were  exempted,  they  began  gradually  to  take 
coui'age,  to  trust  in  the  Lord  and  make  the  necessary  pre})a- 
rations  for  their  departure.  Indications  of  this  concurrent 
])rocess  and  result  nOw  begin  to  appear  in  the  narrative.  We 
have  only  to  call  to  mind  the  law  of  Hebrew  narrative,  that 
"when  one  line  of  events  is  brought  to  a  suitable  resting-place, 
the  author  is  at  liberty  to  go  back  and  take  up  another  line 
which  is  necessary  to  the  full  elucidation  of  his  theme.  The 
words  of  final  parting  between  Moses  and  Pharoh,  though 
not  perhaps  the  absolute  close  of  the  conversation  between 
them,  form  a  striking  pause,  whether  we  regard  them  from  a 
logical  or  a  rhetorical  point  of  view.  Accordingly,  in  the  pa- 
ragraph now  before  us,  we  revert  to  a  point  of  time  before 
the  interview  with  Pharoh  just  recorded,  and  after  the  plague 
of  darkness.  This  we  infer  from  the  intimation  in  the  last 
words  of  Moses  of  something  that  was  in  his  memory  more 
than  what  is  expressed.  This  allusion  could  only  be  to  tiie  com- 
munication recorded  in  the  present  paragraph  ;  which  is  there- 
fore now  introduced  to  explain  what  was  hinted  at  in  the 
words  of  Moses  already  given,  and  in  the  remaining  part  of 
his  last  address  to  Pharoh  (v.  -t-S). 

V.  1.    Yet  one  plague.    This  places  the  coming  judgment  in 

G 


98  DEATH  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN  CHILDREN. 

the  same  class  witli  the  nine  that  had  preceded  it,  though  it 
differs  from  them  in  the  mode  of  its  infliction,  and  transcends 
them  all  in  the  wound   it   gave   to   the  heart  of  the   nation. 
Altogether,  men,  women,  and  children,  with  all  their  cattle  and 
moveable  property  so  far  as  it  was  convenient  or  necessary  for 
them  to  remove  it.     Actually  thrust  you  out,  not  merely  per- 
mit, but  constrain  you  to  depart,     v.   2.  In  the  ears  of  the 
people.     We  are  evidently  got  into  a  new  line  of  narrative. 
This  is   part   of  the   intercourse   of  Moses  with  the   people. 
Aoid  let  them  ask  (iii.  21,  22).      It  is  now  plain  that  asking, 
not  borrowing,  is  here  intended,  seeing  that  this  step  is  to  be 
taken  when  Pharoh  was  on  the  point  of  driving  them  out  of 
the  country,  never  to  return.      There  could  be  no  pretence  of 
a  return  being  made  in  such  circumstances,      Pharoh  indeed 
repented  of  this  course,  and  returned,  as  he  was  wont,  to  his 
old  policy.      But  this  does  not  alter  the  character  of  his  pre- 
sent  procedure,     v.   8.      The   Lord  gave  the  people  favour. 
The    people   of   Egypt    saw    the    past     scenes    of   tyranny, 
obstinacy,  and  prevarication  on  the  part  of  Pharoh,  of  suffer- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  Israelites  and  themselves,  and  of  for- 
bearance and  yet  decision  in  the  judicial  proceedings  of  God 
in   a  very  different  light  from  that  in  which   they  were  re- 
garded by  their  sovereign.      Many  of  them  would  sympathize 
with  the  persecuted  serfs  ;  many  would  stand  in  awe  of  the 
reiterated  strokes  of  the  divine  judgment ;  and  all  would  feel 
the  calamities  that  befel  the  nation   far   more  acutely  than 
Pharoh.      Accordingly,  when  the  warning  was  given  to  bring 
in  the  cattle  and  servants,  lest   they  should  be  destroyed  by 
the  hail,  not  a  few  were  found  with  so  much  faith  in  the  word 
of  the  Lord  as  to  attend  to  it  and  save  their  property.      And 
on  a  subsequent  occasion  the  very  courtiers  ventured  to  tender 
the  advice  to  Pharoh  that  he  should   save  his  country  from 
utter  destruction  by  dismissing  the   chosen  people.      Thus  in 
the  unsearchable  wisdom  of  God  the  same  train  of  events  that 
was  hardening  the  heart  of  Pharoh,  and  reviving  the  faith  and 
courage  of  his  own    people,  was  inclining   the  Egyptians  to 
commiserate  the  suffering  people,  and  help  them  to  make  pro- 
vision for  their  journey.     Moreover    the  man  Moses.     The 
modesty  of  the  writer  is  plain  in  the  unadorned  simplicity  of 
the  epithet,  "  the  man,"  not  the  minister  of  God,  or  the  leader 


EXODUS  XI.   t-S.  09 

and  deliverer  of  the  nation,  but  "the  man  Moses."  Was  very 
<jirnt.  After  what  had  occurred,  it  could  not  be  otherwise. 
The  man  who  had  foiled  the  magicians  of  the  court,  again  and 
again  received  the  submission  of  the  sovereign,  and  proved 
himself  to  be  the  messenger  of  heaven  by  a  succession  of  the 
most  conspicuous  miracles,  could  not  but  be  very  great  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Egyptians.  And  the  statement  of  this  fact 
dt)es  not  derogate  from  his  claim  to  modesty,  but  only 
reudei"s  a  just  tribute  of  praise  to  him  whose  servant  he  was. 
We  have  no  doubt  also  tliat  the  moderation,  good  temj)er,  and 
unaffected  patriotism  with  which  he  discharged  his  duty  com- 
manded the  res])ect  and  esteem  of  Pharoh's  servants  and 
people.  We  shall  find  that  the  death  of  the  first-born  created 
such  alarm  for  their  personal  safety  that  they  Avere  ready  to 
sacrifice  any  amount  of  personal  prf)p€rty  to  get  rid  of  a 
people  whose  detention  had  brought  such  unparalleled  calami- 
ties on  their  country. 

V.  4-8.  We  are  now  come  up  again  to  the  point  at  which 
we  had  arrived  at  the  close  of  the  previous  chapter,  and  the 
speech  of  Moses  is  continued.  About  midnight.  This  note 
of  time  points  naturally,  though  it  does  not  absolutely  bind 
us,  to  the  night  following  the  day  on  which  this  was  spoken. 
We  conceive,  theuefore,  that  in  point  of  fact  this  was  the  1 4th 
Ni.san,  or  the  day  before  the  full  moon,  immediately  after  the 
vernal  equinox.  At  all  events,  there  is  nothing  in  the  narra- 
tive to  oppose,  and  something  to  favour  this  view.  Will  I 
come  out.  God  is  said  to  come  out  when  he  proceeds  to 
execute  the  purposes  of  his  will  in  any  part  of  his  creation, 
which  cannot  be  regarded  as  his  proper  and  special  residence. 
All  the  first -hmni.  The  first-born  is  the  hope  and  strength  of 
the  house,  its  representative,  and  the  heir  of  its  privileges.  A 
double  portion  falls  to  his  lot,  and  the  patriarchal  and  sacer- 
dotal functions  originally  belonged  to  him.  To  slay  the  first- 
born, then,  is  the  deadliest  blow  the  household  can  receive. 
Of  Pharoh  that  sitteth  on  the  throne.  The  pride  of  the 
haughty  monarch  will  now  be  brought  low.  The  anguish 
will  even  be  more  acute,  if  the  wailinj;  be  not  more  loud,  in 
the  palace  of  the  king  than  in  the  cottage  of  the  seif.  The 
maid-serravf  tJiat  is  behind  the  mill,  the  handinill,  which  was 
invariably  wrought  by  females,  and  generally  by  slaves  (xii. 


100  DEATH  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN  CHILDREN. 

29).  It  consisted  of  two  stones,  the  nether  fixed,  and  the 
upper  moveable,  with  a  hole  in  the  centre  to  admit  the  grain, 
and  an  upright  wooden  handle,  by  which  it  was  turned.  The 
lower  was  convex,  and  the  upper  concave,  so  that  the  meal 
came  out  at  the  edge,  and  was  received  on  a  cloth.  The  first- 
horn  of  beasts.  As  the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  were  to  have 
been  detained,  the  cattle  also  of  the  Egj^ptians  are  to  suffer. 
And  if  there  be  any  first-born  among  the  animals  to  which 
the  Egyptians  pay  divine  honours,  they  also  will  perish.  A 
great  cry.  Such  a  wail  could  have  no  parallel,  unless  all  the 
first-born  of  a  nation  were  to  perish  again  in  one  night.  A  dog 
move  his  tongue,  put  his  tongue  in  such  a  form  and  motion  as 
to  snarl,  growl,  or  bark.  This  is  a  proverbial  expression,  to 
denote  security  from  even  the  threat  of  danger.  That  ye  may 
knoiv.  This  is  a  lesson  to  Pharoh  and  his  court,  which  is  now 
to  be  repeated  for  the  seventh  time.  Mizraim  represents  the 
world  for  the  time  being,  and  Israel  the  Church.  Come  doiun 
to  me  from  the  high  places  of  the  court  and  the  royal  city. 
Bow  doiun  to  me,  humble  themselves  so  far  as  to  do  obeisance 
to  me.  And  after  that  I  will  go  out.  When  every  proud 
heart  will  be  abased,  and  all  opposition  will  be  broken  down, 
then  will  I  depart.  Pharoh  had  threatened  the  Lord's  servant 
with  death,  and  now  the  death  of  all  the  fij.-st-born  of  Egypt 
is  announced  to  its  monarch.  In  great  wrath.  Words  of 
deadly  feud  had  passed  between  them.  Pharoh  had  threat- 
ened Moses  with  death  simply  because  he  had  demanded  that 
the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  should  go  with  them.  With  what 
mingled  alarm  and  indignation  would  he  listen  to  this  last 
awful  menace  of  heaven's  minister.  We  may  infer,  therefore, 
that  there  was  high  wrath  on  both  sides  at  parting. 

V.  9,  10.  These  two  verses  are  a  recapitulation  of  all  that 
has  been  related  after  the  introductory  paragraph  in  the 
seventh  chapter,  especially  ver.  3 .  This  verse  is  the  prediction ; 
the  intervening  narrative  sets  forth  the  details,  and  the  two 
verses  now  before  us  are  the  logical  conclusion  or  summing  up 
of  the  whole.  Hence  we  render  the  conjunctive  particle  at 
the  beginning,  by  the  word  so,  as  is  occasionally  done  in  the 
English  version.  This  inferential  summary  could  not  come 
in  before  the  speech  of  Moses,  threatening  the  death  of  the 
first-born,  as  this  occurs  at  the  closing  interview  between  him 


EXODUS  XII.  101 

and  Pharcili,  and  presents  the  latter  with  the  last  occasion  for 
rejecting  the  demands  of  the  Lord.  And  it  could  not  come 
in  after  the  death  of  the  first-born,  Lecausc  then  Pliaroh  at 
length  yielded,  wliercas  these  verses  record  his  long  continned 
resistance.  They  form  therefore  the  methodical  recapitulation 
uf  the  opposition  of  Pharoh  foretold  by  the  Lord,  Nvhen  that 
opposition  has  come  to  its  last  efforts.  "  Pharoh  shall  not 
hearken  unto  you,  that  my  wonders  may  be  multiplied  in 
the  land  of  I\Iizraini,"  for  the  perpetual  instruction  of  maid-cind 
in  certain  sublime  and  necessary  principles  of  theological  truth. 
And  so  it  has  accordingly  happened. 


CHAP.    XII.    THE   PASSOVER. DEATH   OF   THE    FIRST-BORN. 

2.  ti'jn  neiv  moon,  day  of  the  new  moon,  mouth,  r.  he 
new.   T?"!  Ttwnth  from  n^^  moon. 

3.  "Tjy  assembly,  r.  constitute.  A  definitely  constituted 
body  of  men,  vaiying  in  extent  from  ten  heads  of  houses  to 
the  whole  of  the  men  of  Israel  who  are  entitled  to  vote  in  a 
]-egular  convention  of  the  people.  These  were  most  probably 
all  the  males  above  twenty  years  of  age.  Between  the  full 
assembly  and  that  of  the  heads  of  houses,  was  probably  the 
representative  convention,  consisting  of  the  princes  of  tribes, 
chiefs  of  families,  elders,  and  officers,  each  of  which  had  its 
well-known  province  and  function.  It  appears,  however, 
that  the  term  "eldei-s,"  was  often  employed  to  denote  the 
whole  of  these  classes,  (v.  12).  ''•^i^  congregation  r.  gather 
together.  This  denotes  the  whole  community  of  Israel,  in- 
cluding young  and  old,  male  and  female.  It  is  also  used  to 
express  any  body  of  people  collected  together,  without  refei'- 
ence  to  definite  organization  or  regular  appointment.  IJ/D 
appointed  time  or  place  of  meeting,  appointed  meeting.  This 
is  the  term  constantly  used  in  the  phrase  *iyJ3  SlK  tent  of 
meeting,  the  tent  at  the  door  of  which  all  sacred  and  civil 
meetings  were  appointed  to  be  held  in  the  wilderness. 

11.  nos.  Aram.  KHOB  rrdnyji,  tlie  passover.  r.  pass  over. 
1 .  The  lamb  on  account  of  whose  blood,  sprinkled  on  the 
lintel  and  the  posts,  the  Lord  passed  over  the  Israelites  (v. 


102  THE  PASSOVER. 

IS).  2.  The  solemnity  of  which  this  lamb  was  the  sacrifice 
(Lev.  xxiii.  5).  3.  The  seven  days'  festival  usually  called 
the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  including  the  proper  passover, 
or  festival  of  the  preceding  evening  (Deut.  xvi.  1).  4.  The 
sacrifices  belonging  to  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  (Deut. 
xvi.  2  ;  2  Chr.  xxxv.  1,  7). 

24.  'pr\  statute,  edict,  ordinance,  rate.  (v.  14)  npn  r.  engrave. 

40.  ^.''IVP^  ''^^^  "'^'^,  i^vho  sojourned  in  Mizraim.  So  the 
Targum  of  Onkelos  may  also  be  rendered.  But  the  Sept.  has 
'/jv  ira^wxnGav  sv  yr\  Alyo-Trrw,  which  they  sojourned  in  Egypt. 
Against  this  rendering  are  the  following  considerations.  1. 
"IS?'??  is  usually  followed  by  the  personal  pronoun  after  the 
governing  word  when  it  stands  for  an  oblique  case,  but  here 
it  is  not.  2.  25i>^  is  generally  intransitive,  taking  some  pre- 
position before  the  place  of  abiding,  and  here  it  has  I^P.XP^ 
and  therefore  does  not  admit  iCi'X.  3.  When  it  has  a  direct 
object,  that  object  is  the  place  of  abode,  which  it  could  not 
be  here.  4.  ^{i'i?^  after  ^'^\  signifies  a  seat,  (Ezek.  xxviii  2), 
which  it  cannot  do  here.  5.  The  cognate  objective  after  ^K'^ 
would  be  nn'^ti^  or  ri3^"  rather  than  2'd^'O.  For  these  reasons 
we  adhere  to  the  former  rendering. 

49,  '"''^"'"^  doctrine,  law,  principle,  r.  cast,  hiph.  teach. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the  land  of 
Mizraim,  saying.  2  This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the  chief  of 
months  :  it  shall  be  first  to  you  of  the  months  of  the  year.  3  Speak 
ye  unto  all  the  assembly  of  Israel,  saying,  In  the  tenth  day  of  this 
month  they  shall  take  to  them  every  man  a  lamb,  according  to 
fathers'  houses,  a  lamb  for  the  house.  4  And  if  the  house  be  too 
little  for  the  lamb,  let  him  and  his  neighbour  next  unto  his 
house  take  it,  according  to  the  number  of  souls ;  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  eating  ye  shall  count  for  the  lamb.  5  Your  lamb  shall  be 
without  blemish,  a  male  of  the  first  year;  from  the  sheep  or  from 
the  goats  ye  shall  take  it.  6  And  ye  shall  keep  it  until  the  four- 
teenth day  of  this  month ;  and  the  whole  congregation  of  the  assembly 
of  Israel  shall  kill  it  between  the  evenings.  7  And  they  shall  take 
of  the  blood,  and  put  it  on  the  two  posts,  and  on  the  lintel,  upon  the 
houses  in  which  they  shall  eat  it.  8  And  they  shall  eat  the  flesh 
on  this  night  j  roast  with  fire  and  with  unleavened  bread,  on  hitter 


EXODUS  Xli.  103 

herbs  shall  ye  eat  it.  9  Ye  shall  not  cat  of  it  raw,  or  sodden  at  all 
Avith  -vvator  ;  but  roiist  with  fin.',  its  head  witli  its  Ic^'s  and  its  inwanls. 
]  0  And  ye  shall  not  leave  of  it  until  tlie  morning, and  that  which  is  left 
of  it  until  the  morning  ye  shall  burn  with  fire.  1 1  And  thus  shall  ye  eat 
it,  with  your  loins  girded,  your  shoes  on  your  feet,  and  your  stall"  in 
your  liand  ;  and  ye  shall  cat  it  in  haste,  it  is  tlTe  Lord's  passovor. 

12  And  I  will  pass  through  the  land  of  Mizraira  this  night,  and 
will  smite  all  the  first-born  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  from  man  to  beast, 
antl  on  all  the  gods  of  Mizraim  I  will  execute  judgments;  I  am  the 
Loud.  13  And  the  blood  shall  bo  to  you  for  a  token  upon  the 
houses  where  ye  are,  and  I  will  look  upon  the  blood  and  pass  over 
you :  and  there  shall  be  no  stroke  of  destruction  on  you,  when  I  smite  the 
land  of  Mizraim.  14  And  this  day  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  memorial, 
and  ye  shall  keep  it  a  feast  to  the  Lord  ;  in  your  generations  ye  shall 
keep  it  as  an  ordinance  for  ever. 

15  Seven  days  shall  ye  eat  unleavened  bread  ;  even  the  first  day  ye 
shall  put  away  leaven  out  of  your  houses  :  for  whosoever  eateth 
leavened  bread,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  Israel  from  the  first  day 
until  the  seventh  day.  IG  And  in  the  first  day  shall  be  a  holy  con- 
vocation, and  in  the  seventh  day  a  holy  convocation  to  you  :  no  work 
shall  be  done  in  them :  only  that  which  every  soul  must  eat,  that 
alone  may  be  done  of  you.  17  And  ye  shall  observe  the  feast  of 
unleavened,  breiul;  for  in  this  self-same  day  I  shall  have  brought  your 
hosts  out  of  the  land,  of  Mizraim  :  and  ye  shall  observe  this  day  in 
your  generations  as  an  ordinance  for  ever.  18  In  the  first  month,  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month,  at  even,  ye  shall  eat  unleavened 
bread,  until  the  one-and-twentieth  day  of  the  month  at  even.  19 
Seven  days  leaven  shall  not  be  found  in  your  houses  :  for  whosoever 
eateth  that  which  is  leavened,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  the 
assembly  of  Israel,  whether  he  be  a  stranger  or  born  in  the  land.  20 
Nothing  leavened  shall  ye  eat ;  in  all  your  dwellings  ye  shall  eat 
unleavened  bread.  IT  IG. 

21  Then  Moses  called  for  all  the  elders  of  Israel  and  said  unto 
thi'm,  Draw  out  and  take  you  a  lamb  according  to  your  families,  and 
kill  the  passover.  22  And  ye  shall  take  a  bunch  of  hyssop  and  dip  in 
the  blood  which  is  in.  the  bason,  and  strike  the  lintel  and  the  two 
jiosts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  bason:  and  none  of  you  shall  come 
out  from  the  door  of  his  house  until  the  morning.  23  And  the  Lord 
will  piuss  through  to  smite  ^Mizraim,  and  shall  see  the  blood  upon  the 
lintel,  and  on  the  two  jjosts  :  and  the  Lord  will  pass  over  the  door, 
and  will  not  suflfer  the  destroyer  to  go  into  your  houses  to  smite  yo' 
24  And  ye  shall  observe  this  thing,  for  an  ordinance  to  thee  and 
thy  sons  for  ever.  25  And  it  shall  come  to  pa.ss,  when  you  go  into 
the  land  which  the  Lord  will  give  you  as  He  hath  spoken,  that  ye 


he  ^ 


104<  EXODUS  XII. 

shall  keep  tliis  service.  26  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  Avhen  your  sons 
shall  say  unto  you,  What  mean  ye  by  this  service  ?  27  Then  ye  shall 
say,  It  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord's  passover,  who  passed  over  the 
houses  of  the  sons  of  Israel  in  Mizraim,  Avhen  He  smote  Mizraim  and 
delivered  our  houses.  And  the  people  bent  the  head  and  worshipped. 
28  And  the  sons  of  Is:^ael  went  and  did  so ;  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses  and  Aaron  so  did  they.  §  1 3. 

29  And  it  came  to  pass  at  midnight,  that  the  Lord  smote  all  the 
first-borii  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  from  the  first-born  of  Pharoh  that 
sat  on  the  throne  unto  the  first-born  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the 
dungeon,  and  all  the  first-born  of  cattle.  30  And  Pharoh  rose  up  in 
the  night,  he  and  all  his  servants  and  all  Mizraim ;  and  there  was  a 
great  cry  in  Mizraim  :  for  there  was  not  a  house  where  there  was  not 
one  dead.  31  And  he  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  by  night  and  said, 
Eise  up,  go  forth  from  among  my  people,  both  ye  and  the  sons  of 
Israel :  and  go,  serve  the  Lord,  as  ye  have  spoken.  32  Take  your 
flocks  also  and  your  herds,  as  ye  have  spoken,  and  go ;  and  bless  me 
also.  33  And  Mizraim  urged  the  people  to  send  them  out  of  the  land 
in  haste ;  for  they  said,  We  shall  be  all  dead.  34  And  the  people 
took  up  their  dough  before  it  w\as  leavened,  their  kneading  troughs 
being  bound  up  in  their  garments  upon  their  shoulders.  35  And  the 
sons  of  Israel  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses ;  and  they  asked  of 
Mizraim  jewels  of  silver  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  garments.  36  And 
the  Lord  gave  the  people  favour  in  the  eyes  of  Mizraim  and  they  gave 
them;  and^they  spoiled  Mizraim.  1[  l*^- 

37  And  the  sons  of  Israel  journeyed  from  Eameses  to  Sukkoth 
about  six  hundred  thousand  foot,  the  men  apart  from  the  little  ones. 
38  And  a  mixed  multitude  also  Avent  up  with  them,  and  flocks  and 
herds,  even  very  much  cattle.  39  And  they  baked  the  dough  which 
they  brought  out  of  Mizraim  into  unleavened  cakes,  for  it  was  not 
leavened  :  because  they  were  thrust  out  of  Mizraim  and  could  not 
tarry,  and  they  had  not  made  for  themselves  any  provision.  40  And 
the  sojourning  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  who  sojourned  in  Mizraim,  was 
thirty  and  four  hundred  years.  41  And  it  was  after  the  end  of  thirty 
and  four  hundred  years,  and  it  was  on  the  self-same  day  that  all  the 
hosts  of  the  Lord  came  out  from  the  land  of  Mizraim.  42  It  is  a 
night  of  observance  unto  the  Lord  for  bringing  them  out  from  the 
land  of  Mizraim  :  such  is  this  night  of  the  Lord  to  be  observed  by  all 
the  sons  of  Israel  in  their  generations.  *I[  IS- 

43  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  This  is  the  ordi- 
lumce  of  the  passover,  no  alien  shall  eat  thereof.  44  And  every  man's 
servant  that  is  bought  with  money,  when  thou  hast  circumcised  him, 
then  shall  he  eat  thereof.  45  A  sojourner,  and  a  hireling,  shall  not 
eat  thereof.     46  In  one  house  shall  it  be  eaten :  thou  shalt  not  bring 


EXODUS  xir.  1.  105 

aiiglit  of  tlio  fli'sli  out  of  tlic  liouse  ahroad,  and  a  bone  thereof  yc  sliall 
]iot  break.  47  All  the  assembly  of  Israel  shall  keep  it.  48  And 
Avhon  a  stranger  sojourneth  with  thee  and  will  keep  the  passover  to 
the  Lord,  let  all  his  males  be  circumcised  and  then  let  him  come  near 
to  keep  it,  and  he  shall  he  as  one  born  in  the  land  :  and  no  uncirciim- 
cised  person  shall  eat  thereof.  49  One  law  shall  be  to  the  hoine-lioru 
and  to  the  stranger  that  sojourneth  among  you.  50  Thus  did  all  the 
sons  of  Israel ;  as  the  Loud  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did 
they.  §  14. 

51  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  self-same  day,  that  the  Lord  brought 
the  sons  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim  by  their  liosts.       II  lU. 

Tl)is  chapter  contains  the  divine  order  for  the  institution 
of  the  passover,  tlic  directions  given  by  Moses  to  the  peo])le 
and  their  compliance  witli  them,  the  death  of  the  first-born  in 
Egypt,  and  the  dismissal  of  the  enslaved  people,  the  date  of 
their  departure,  and  the  determination  of  the  parties  who  are 
admissible  to  the  passover. 

V.  1-20.  The  divine  ordinance  concerning  the  passover. 
The  parting  interview  between  Moses  and  Pharoh  may  have 
taken  place  on  the  1 4tli  Nisan.  In  the  present  chapter  a  now 
line  of  events  is  taken  up.  It  belongs  to  the  intercourse,  not 
of  Moses  and  Pharoh,  but  of  Moses  and  the  people.  We, 
therefore,  go  back  to  the  beginning  of  Nisan,  which  we  have 
supposed  to  be  about  the  8th  of  March  at  the  earliest.  At 
this  time  it  may  be  presumed  the  plague  of  hail  had  been 
removed,  and  those  of  the  locusts  and  the  darkness  had  yet 
to  come  on. 

v.  1.  In  the  land  of  Mizvahn.  This  note  of  place  would 
liave  been  unnecessary  if  the  writer  had  not  passed  from  Egypt 
into  the  wilderness  since  the  preceding  chapter  was  indited. 
It  is,  therefore,  an  intimation  that  this  portion  of  the  narrative 
was  not  conuuittcd  to  writing  till  after  the  exodus  had  taken 
place.  It  thus  affords  an  incidental  presumption  that  tlie 
narrative  was  composed  by  an  eye  witness.  This  ononfli. 
Tlie  term  here  employed  denotes  the  new  moon,  and  hence 
the  day  of  the  new  moon  or  first  day  of  the  month,  and  lastly 
the  month  as  defined  in  its  commencement  by  the  new  moon. 
It  appears  to  denote  here  the  beginning  of  the  month.  2'lie 
chief  of  moutJdi  ;  the  most  important  among  the  months  on 
account  of  the  great  event  which  was  about  to  take  place  in 


106  THE  PASSOVER  INSTITUTED, 

it.  It  shall  he  first.  Israel  was  henceforth  to  have  a  sacred 
year  beginning  with  this  month,  which  was  the  seventh  of 
the  old  civil  or  common  year  (see  on  Gen.  ii.  6,  vii.  11). 
From  this  accordingly  the  months  are  henceforth  counted, 
so  that  the  old  first  month  becomes  the  seventh  of  the  sacred 
year,  though  its  first  day  is  still  distinguished  as  a  festival  by 
the  blowing  of  trumpets  and  certain  special  sacrifices  (Lev. 
xxiii.  23-25  ;  Num.  xxix.  1-6). 

V.  3.  All  the  assembly.  Three  words  are  with  more  or  less 
constancy  rendered  congregation  in  our  English  version,  niy, 
-'^i^  and  "^Vp.  We  shall  by  way  of  distinction  translate  them 
respectively  by  the  words  assembly,  congregation,  and  meeting, 
which  are  already  used  without  exact  discrimination  in  our 
present  version.  By  assembly  or  convention  we  understand 
a  body  of  men  organised  for  common  counsel  or  action.  By 
congregation  or  community  we  understand  a  more  general 
body  or  gathering  of  men,  women,  and  children,  having  common 
privileges,  civil  and  sacred,  but  not  all  called  upon  or  entitled 
to  vote  or  act  in  public  aflTairs.  In  the  former  term,  regular 
organization  is  the  prominent  characteristic  ;  in  the  latter  the 
custom  of  assembling  together.  The  commonwealth  of  Israel 
may  be  designated  by  either,  according  to  the  different  way 
in  which  it  may  be  viewed.  It  is  obviously  regarded  in  our 
text  as  a  unity,  having  its  natural  centre  in  Jacob  and  its 
spiritual  centre  in  Israel,  and  in  him  of  whom  Israel  was  the 
type.  By  meeting  or  appointment  is  to  be  understood  a 
stated  meeting  or  gathering  for  a  great  solemn  occasion  (xxxix. 
42,  43).  In  the  tenth  day  of  this  month.  From  the  third 
to  the  tenth  of  Nisan  the  plague  of  locusts  ran  its  course. 
The  days  intervening  between  the  tenth  and  the  fourteenth 
were  probably  the  days  of  darkness.  This  was  perhaps  the 
proximate  reason  for  choosing  the  lamb  on  the  tenth.  At  the 
same  time  ten  is  the  symbol  of  completeness ;  and  the  tenth 
day  completes  the  third  of  the  month,  as  the  night  of  (that  is, 
before)  the  fifteenth  completes  the  half  of  the  month.  The  day 
of  atonement  was  in  like  manner  on  the  tenth  day  of  the 
seventh  month  (Lev.  xxiii.  27).  Every  man  a  lamb,  a  young 
animal  of  the  sheep  or  of  the  goats  (v.  5,  2  Chr.  xxxv.  7), 
though  in  latter  times  it  came  to  be  invariably  the  young  of 
a  sheep.     According  to  fathers  houses,  or  smaller  families. 


EXODUS  XII.  5.  107 

The  family  organization  was  very  exact  among  tlie  Israelites. 
Under  the  twelve  tribes  were  the  clans  or  families  (ninec'tp)  ; 
under  these  the  father's  houses  (J^i^S  rT'a)  or  smaller  families, 
and  under  these  the  several  distinct  households  of  which  they 
consisted.  A  lamb  fm'  the  house.  This  is  the  single  house- 
hold, which  forms  the  social  unit  in  the  subdivisions  of  Israel, 
v.  4.  And  if  the  houae  he  too  little  for  the  lamh.  The  Jewish 
tradition  was  that  a  man  ate  the  size  of  an  olive  of  the  ])aschal 
lamb,  in  which  case  a  whole  lamb  would  be  sufficient  for  a 
very  large  household.  In  the  Targum  Jonathan,  ten  is  given 
as  the  least  number  for  a  paschal  company.  Josei)hus  assigns 
ten  as  the  least  number  and  twenty  as  not  uncommon.  (Wars 
of  the  Jews,  vi.  9,  3).  The  Mi.shna  says,  "  A  paschal  sacrifice 
may  not  be  slaughtered  for  a  single  individual  only.  It  may 
not  be  slaugh.tered  even  for  a  party  of  a  hundred  individuals, 
if  each  of  them  cannot  eat  thereof  the  minimum  quantity  of 
the  size  of  an  olive."  This  implies  that  a  hundred  might  par- 
take of  the  one  lamb.  At  the  last  supper  of  our  Lord  and  his 
disciples,  thirteen  full-grown  men  were  present.  This  would 
give  an  average  of  about  twenty  person.s,  if  women  and  child- 
ren were  included. 

V.  5.  Without  blemish.  The  lamb  is  the  substitute,  at 
least  in  type,  of  the  first-born,  and  is,  therefore,  to  be  perfect 
of  its  kind.  A  male  of  the  first  year.  The  male  ranks  be- 
fore the  female,  and  is  therefore  employed  to  figure  a  sufficient 
sacrifice.  The  jihrase  "  son  of  a  year,"  means  of  any  age  from 
a  month  to  a  full  year  (Gen.  vii.  6,  11). 

Until  the  fourteenth  day.  If,  as  we  presume,  the  three 
days  of  darkness  came  between  the  tenth  and  the  fourteenth, 
though  the  Israelites  had  light,  as  in  ordinary  days,  it  was 
desirable  that  the  lamb  should  be  set  apart  on  the  tenth  day, 
that  there  might  be  nothing  to  do  on  the  fourteenth  day  but 
prepare  it  for  sacrifice.  During  those  awful  days,  when  dark- 
ness, the  symbol  of  chaos,  brooded  over  Egypt,  the  Israelites 
had  the  lamb  as  the  sign  and  pledge  of  the  divine  })n)nii.se, 
that  this  darkness  would  spread  no  farther,  but  would  at 
length  give  way  to  a  now  period  of  light,  and  life,  and  hope. 
And  doubtless  they  would  have  occasion  on  contemplating  this 
devoted  victim  to  converse  with  one  another  concerning  the 
great  deliverance  which  was  before  them  (see  Fa[/ius  in  Crit. 


108  THE  PASSOVER  INSTITUTED. 

Sac.)  But  instruction  and  edification  were  not  limited  to 
those  three  days.  They  pervade  all  time,  but  especially 
those  great  occasions  on  which  God  manifests  his  power  in  the 
works  of  justice  and  mercy.  Hence  every  event  in  this  great 
deliverance  has  its  definite  lesson  to  all  parties  concerned,  if 
they  will  but  learn  it.  The  luhole  congregation  of  the  as- 
seonhly  of  Israel.  A  congregation  is  any  gathering  or  num- 
ber of  people  that  may  be  gathered.  The  congregation  of  an 
assembly  is  the  company  of  those  who  belong  to  an  organ- 
ised or  orderly  community,  having  a  common  head,  a  repre- 
sentative assembly,  and  a  law  of  action.  The  word  Israel 
defines  the  nation,  and  the  word  all  embraces  every  member 
of  it.  Not  to  partake  of  the  passover  on  this  occasion  was 
to  be  excommunicated,  unless  there  was  some  in\'incible  hind- 
rance. The  whole  congregation  are  here  priests  unto  God. 
Shall  kill  it,  as  a  typical  substitute  for  the  first-born,  a  symbol 
of  propitiation  by  the  death  of  another.  Between  the  even- 
ings. The  lamb  seems  to  have  been  slain  before  sunset  and 
eaten  after  (see  on  Gen.  i.  4.) 

v.  7  Put  it  on  the  two  i^sts  and  on  the  lintel.  By  the  door 
the  destroyer  enters  to  slay  the  first-born.  Hence  the  blood 
that  indicates  faith  and  represents  atonement  is  sprinkled  on 
the  fixed  boimdaries  of  tlie  doorway,  except  the  threshold  on 
which  the  foot  treads.  It  is  not  sprinkled  on  the  door-leaf 
itself,  which  may  have  been  in  many  cases  altogether  want- 
ing, and  was  always  less  permanent  than  the  lintel  and  posts  in 
the  booths  and  other  slight  habitations  of  a  pastoral  people 
(v.  8,  9).  And  they  shall  eat.  As  the  sacrificing  of  the  paschal 
lamb  is  a  symbol  of  the  redemption,  by  which  the  death- 
penalty  due  by  one  is  paid  by  another,  so  the  eating  of  it  is  a 
figure  of  the  participation  of  pardon,  acceptance,  and  full 
blessedness  consequent  upon  the  atonement  being  made,  and 
the  law  being  satisfied.  Roast  ivith  fire  :  not  raw,  that  is 
unfit  for  use,  and  thei'efore  for  representing  spiritual  enjoy- 
ment ;  nor  sodden  with  water,  deprived  of  any  portion  of 
its  savour,  and  thus  not  so  well  adapted  to  express 
complete  happiness  ;  but  roast  with  fire,  submitted  to 
the  direct  influence  of  fire,  retaining  the  integrity  of  its 
strength  and  flavour,  consequently  shadowing  forth  not 
only  the  completeness  of  the  sacrifice,  but  also  the  perfection 
of  the  salvation  thereby  obtained.    Uideavened  bread.    Bread 


EXODUS  II.   10.  101) 

is  the  staff  of  life  (Lev.  xxvi.  2G).  Leaven  is  a  mass  of  sour 
cloiiirh  ill  Avliich  decomposition  lias  set  in,  and  is  therefore  the 
symbol  of  corruption  (1  Cor.  v.  8).  Hence  unleavened 
bread  is  the  emblem  of  })urity  and  life.  On  hitter  herbs. 
These  apj^ear  to  form  the  basis  of  the  repast,  on  which  the 
other  materials  rest.  In  the  Mishna  five  different  kinds  of 
bitter  herbs  are  mentioned,  among  which  aie  lettuce  and  en- 
dive. Tlie  bitter  herbs  convey  no  obscure  allusion  to  the 
bitterness  of  Egyptian  bondage,  and  of  the  bondage  of  sin 
in  general.  Its  head,  with  its  legs  and  its  imuards.  It  is 
plain  that  it  was  to  be  roasted  whole  without  breaking 
or  severing  any  of  the  bones.  This  involved  the  necessity  of 
its  being  roasted  on  a  spit  before  the  fire,  as  the  people  could 
not  be  generally  provided  with  vessels  large  enough  to  contain 
it  whole.  And  it  was  strikingly  expressive  of  the  unity  of 
the  sacrifice, — of  the  salvation  which  it  prefigured,  and  of  the 
people  who  partook  of  it  (Psal.  xxxiv.  20;  J  Cor,  v.  7  ;  x.  17.) 
V.  10.  Ye  shall  not  have  of  it  until  the  morning.  It 
was,  if  possible,  to  be  entirely  consumed.  But  if  any  portion 
was  left,  it  was  to  be  burnt  with  fire.  This  was  the  rule  for 
all  sacrificial  meals,  except  the  vow  or  voluntary  oflering 
(Lev.  vii.  15-17).  This  seems  to  indicate  that  they  were 
sacred  to  the  one  purpose,  and  therefore  not  to  be  applied  to 
any  profane  or  farther  use.  The  atonement  and  the  salvation 
following  are  to  be  all-sufficient,  yet  not  more  than  suflicient. 
And  thus  shall  ye  eat  it,  ivltlt  your  loins  girded,  as  those 
who  are  equipped  for  expeditious  travelling,  your  shoes  on 
your  feet,  as  those  who  are  prepared  for  rough  and  untrodden 
paths  ;  your  staff  in  your  hand,  as  a  protection  and  a  supjiort 
on  the  journey ;  in  haste,  as  those  who  do  not  know  the 
moment  when  they  must  set  out.  Here  we  have  a  reality 
which  is  a  true  type  of  the  readiness  with  which  the  redeemed 
should  wait  for  other  and  higher  journeys  than  that  which 
was  now  before  the  Israelites.  It  is  the  Lord's  jxissovcr.  The 
festival  now  described  is  a  feast  of  passing  over  in  sparing 
mercy,  instituted  by  the  Lord  himself,  and  to  be  observed  by 
all  his  people  in  obedience  to  his  word.  As  is  usual  with  the 
first  observance  of  any  institution  there  are  many  incidental 
circumstances  that  do  not  occur  in  the  subsequent  oUservance 
of  it.     The  essential  parts  of  this  solemnity  are  the  lamb,  the 


110  THE  PASSOVER  INSTITUTED. 

<■«• 

time  of  sacrificing:  and  eatincr  jt,  the  unleavened  bread  and 
bitter  herbs,  the  seven  days'  feast  of  unleavened  bread.  The 
keeping  up  from  the  tenth  day  was  afterwards  omitted  ;  the 
domestic  observance  by  the  men,  women,  and  children, 
was  succeeded  by  the  celebration  at  the  place  which  the  Lord 
had  chosen  (Deut.  xvi.  6)  by  the  men  only  or  chiefly  ;  the 
lamb  was  slain  by  the  house  father  or  the  priest ;  the  blood 
was  sprinkled,  not  on  the  lintel  and  posts  of  the  house,  but 
apparently  on  the  altar  (2  Chron,  xxx.  16,  xxxv.  11);  and 
the  attire  and  attitude  of  haste  and  readiness  for  travelling 
were  afterwards  omitted. 

1 .  Of  the  three  things  essential  to  the  salvation  of  a  fallen 
creature,  two  are  represented  by  circumcision  and  the  passover, 
regeneration  and  redemption.  2.  Circumcision  denotes  the 
new  birth,  without  indicating  any  of  its  fruits.  The  passover, 
like  all  sacrificial  feasts,  points  out  not  only  the  act,  but  the 
effect  of  redemption.  The  slaying  of  the  lamb  is  the  act, 
being  the  giving  up  of  the  life  of  one  for  another  :  the  eating 
of  the  sacrifice  is  the  effect,  being  the  reception  of  the  rights 
and  enjoyments  recovered  on  its  death.  3.  Circumcision 
signifying  that  which  is  inward,  applies  to  each  individual 
apart,  and  is  therefore  a  solitary  ordinance  :  the  passover, 
standing  for  that  which  is  outward,  is  equally  adapted  to  all 
who  are  circumcised,  and  is  therefore  a  social  ordinance, 
exhibiting  the  communion  of  saints.  Hence  the  former  began 
suitably  with  Abraham,  when  he  was  alone,  before  he  became 
the  father  of  the  faithful :  the  latter  appropriately  with  Israel, 
after  he  had  become  a  nation.  4.  In  circumcision,  whicli 
shadows  forth  the  new  birth,  the  recipient  is  passive  ;  in  the 
passover,  which  implies  the  voluntary  partaking  of  the  sacrifice, 
the  recipient  is  active.  5.  Circumcision,  symbolizing  the  new 
birth,  is  not  to  be  repeated :  the  passover,  as  a  sacrifice,  repre- 
sents that  sacrifice  which  is  to  be  offered  once  for  all ;  but  as 
a  feast,  it  sets  forth  the  constant  fare  by  which  the  soul  is 
sustained,  and  is  therefore  repeated  from  year  to  year.  6. 
Circumcision,  the  symbol  of  the  new  nature,  was  not  preceded 
by  any  other  sign  of  like  import.  The  passover,  being  a  kind 
of  sacrifice,  was  preceded  by  the  sacrifices  of  Habel,  Noah, 
Abraham,  and  other  patriarchs,  all  prefiguring  that  great  re- 
deeming sacrifice  which  was  to  be  offered  in  the  fulness  of  time. 


EXODUS  xir.  1-20.  J  I  1 

r 

7.  Circumcision  was  to  continue  as  long  as  the  visible  Cliuich 
was  limited  to  the  natural  or  adopted  descendants  of  Israel  : 
the  passover  was  to  Le  observed  until  the  true  Lamb  of  (Jcjd 
should  come,  of  which  it  was  only  the  type.  8.  Regeneration 
and  redemption  are  necessary  to  the  salvation  of  man  from  the 
date  of  the  fall  to  that  of  the  resurrection,  and  therefore  be- 
longed to  the  experience  of  the  saints  before  these  symbols 
were  instituted.  We  have  seen  that  the  S3Mnbol  of  redemp- 
tion varied  according  to  the  varying  aspects  which  its  historical 
]n-ogress  presented.  The  passover  answers  to  a  new  phase  of 
redemption  not  within  the  experience  of  tlie  patriarchs.  This 
leads  us  toexpectthat  other  symbols  maybe  substituted  forthose 
of  the  law  of  Moses,  when  the  realities  for  which  they  stand 
reach  a  new  stage  of  development.  9.  The  event  which  gave 
occasion  to  the  institution  of  the  passover  was  a  temporal  re- 
demption, and  therefore  itself  but  a  type  and  foretaste  of  that 
eternal  redemption  wliich  transcends  all  its  temporal  forms  as 
far  as  the  bondaixe  of  inward  <ruilt  transcends  that  of  outward 
force.  This  brings  before  us  the  vast  import  and  grandeur  of 
the  present  turning  point  in  the  history  of  God's  people,  in 
regard  not  only  to  what  it  is  in  itself,  but  to  what  it  prefigures 
in  the  history  of  salvation.  10.  The  passover  is  an  advance 
on  all  preceding  sacrifices  ;  as  it  signalizes  the  eating  of  the 
sacrifice,  and  therefore  the  enjoyment  of  the  benefits  of  re- 
demption, the  rest,  the  land  of  rest,  the  better  land  ;  it  is 
a  periodical  festival,  and  thereby  represents  the  perpetuity  of 
the  heavenly  sustenance  ;  and  it  is  commemorative  of  a  great 
ty[)ical  deliverance. 

V.  1 2-1 5.  The  immediate  benefit  realized  by  those  who 
keep  this  ordinance.  /  luill  ^xtss  through.  The  Lord  him- 
self, without  the  intervention  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  is  to 
execute  this  awful  judgment.  This  night.  The  night  after 
the  fourteenth  Nisan,  the  previous  transactions  of  which  have 
just  been  described.  All  the  Jirst-horn — from  man  to  beast. 
The  first-born  is  the  beginning  and  the  hope  of  the  family 
(Gen.  xlix.  3).  To  smite  the  first-born  is  to  begin  the  an- 
nihilation of  the  race.  The  cattle  came  also  under  this 
judgment.  All  the  gods  of  Mizraim.  The  bull,  the  goat, 
the  ram,  and  otlier  animals  were  deified  by  the  Egyptians. 
The  king  was  also  regarded  as  an  impersonation  of  the  sun- 


112  THE  PASSOVER  INSTITUTED. 

god.  The  extinction  of  all  these  creature  gods  will  be  menaced 
as  well  as  in  part  executed  by  the  death  of  their  first-born. 
I  am  the  Lord,  the  maker,  and  therefore  the  absolute  dis- 
poser of  all  things  ;  who  speaks  and  it  is  done.  The  Lord  is 
emphatically  the  performer,  who  gives  effect  to  his  word, 
whether  of  threatening  or  of  promise.  The  blood  shall  be  to 
you  for  a  token,  a  token  of  redemption,  of  acceptance  and 
safety.  Aiid  2^ctss  over  you.  Here  is  the  origin  of  the  term 
passover.  I  will  pass  over  you,  for  whom  another  has  by  a 
type  shed  his  blood,  and  who  are  therefore  freed  from  the 
penalty  of  the  law.  For  a  memorial.  At  this  time  every 
year  you  will  commemorate  with  thankfulness  your  present 
and  perpetual  deliverance.  Keep  it  a  feast,  a  day  of  rejoicing 
and  thanksgiving  for  freedom  and  prosperity,  to  be  celebrated 
according  to  the  general  rules  laid  down  by  the  Lord.  An 
ordinance  for  ever,  a  perpetual  ordinance,  lasting  in  its  form 
as  long  as  Israel  is  the  peculiar  people  ;  in  its  principle  as  long 
as  the  state  of  redemption,  which  it  celebrates,  and  therefore 
absolutely  for  ever. 

V.  15-20.  The  institution  of  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread. 
Seven  days;  a  sacred  number  of  days,  in  token  of  entire  and 
perpetual  consecration  to  God.  Uat  unleavened  bread  (v.  8). 
Unleavened  bread  is  the  symbol  of  a  holy  fare.  To  eat  un- 
leavened bread  is  the  symbol  of  a  holy  life,  becoming  those 
who  have  exercised  faith  in  God,  the  blessed  fruit  of  a  new 
nature.  After  redemption  accepted,  comes  obedience  rendered. 
Fven  the  first  day  of  the  seven.  As  this  day  commenced  at 
the  sunset  of  the  fourteenth  of  Nisan,  the  removal  of  the  leaven 
must  have  been  effected  on  that  day.  Put  away  leaven  out  of 
your  houses.  This  denotes  the  avoidance  of  all  contact  with 
sin,  and  of  all  temptation  to  it.  That  soid  shall  be  cut  off 
from  Israel.  This  is  excommunication  or  exclusion  from  the 
visible  community  of  God's  people.  It  involved  the  loss  of  all 
the  privileges  of  the  chosen  people.  It  was  in  certain  cases 
accompanied  with  the  penalty  of  death,  but  not  in  others. 
We  cannot  suppose  that  an  uncircumcised  infant  was  on  that 
account  to  be  put  to  death,  as  the  fault  was  in  the  parent 
(Gen.  xvii.  14).  It  is  a  type  of  eternal  separation  from  the- 
family  of  heaven.  From  the  first  day  until  the  seventh  day.  Tins 
is  placed  last  to  intimate  that  the  excommunication  is  to  take 


EXODUS  XII.    1 G.  113 

place  whenever  the  offence  has  been  once  committefl  during 
these  seven  days,  and  not  to  bo  dehiyed  till  the  expiration  of 
the  festival. 

V.  IC.  In  the  first  diuj,  the  fifteenth  day  of  Nisan.  A 
holy  eoiivocation.  The  convocation  of  holiness  (t^P'^7i?'?) 
was  an  assembly  for  religious  purposes,  in  which  the  people  of 
a  neighbourhood  worshipped  God  by  praise  and  prayer,  and  it 
may  be  even  from  an  early  period  heard  portions  of  the  M'l'it- 
ten  word  re^xd  and  expounded,  and  applied  to  the  regulation 
of  life.  This  convocation  was  the  origin  of  the  synagogue,  a 
term  which  originally  denoted  the  assembly,  and  not  the  place 
of  jissembly.  They  were  doubtless  at  first  held  in  the  open 
air,  in  the  place  where  it  was  customary  for  the  jieople  of  the 
district  to  assemble.  This  was  probably  a  natural  green  area 
set  apart  for  civil  and  sacred  meetings,  like  the  fair  green  or 
square  of  a  country  town.  The  days  on  which  holy  convoca- 
tions were  held  were  Sabbaths ;  no  ivorh  shall  he  done  in  them 
except  the  works  of  necessity.  Only  tJuit  which  every  soul 
must  eat.  We  learn  from  Lev.  xxiii.  and  Num.  xxviii.,  xxix., 
that  the  weekly  Sabbaths,  the  first  and  seventli  d;iys  of  the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread,  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  first  day 
of  the  seventh  month,  the  day  of  atonement,  the  first  and  the 
eighth  days  of  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  were  days  of  holy  con- 
vocation. Accordingly,  there  were  in  the  ordinary  year  of 
Israel  seven  days  in  which  no  work  was  done,  besides  the 
weekly  Sabbaths.  Yet  the  weekly  Sabbath  and  the  Sabbath 
of  the  day  of  atonement,  were  distinguished  by  a  cessation  of 
all  business,  from  the  other  six  Sabbaths,  on  which  an  absti- 
nence from  the  business  of  labour  only  was  required.  (See 
chapters  quoted.) 

V.  17-20.  This  is  to  be  a  perpetual  feast.  In  this  self- 
same day.  The  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  for  it  is  the 
day  of  their  deliverance.  /  shall  have  hrourjht  your  hosts.  Tlie 
men  above  twenty  years  of  age  will  march  in  battle  aiTay  out 
of  the  land  (xiii.  18).  An  ordinance  for  ever.  See  v.  1  4. 
V.  18-20.  The  time  of  eating  unleavened  bread  is  here  more 
jirucisely  defined.  The  prohibition  is  expressed  also  with 
more  detail.  A  dranger.  The  strangers  were  afterwards  dis- 
tinguished into  two  classes  :  proselytes  of  righteousness  Q"}} 

H 


114  THE  PASSOVER  INSTITUTED. 

P1/?^f),  who  were  circumcised,  and  so  fully  incorporated  into  the 
theocratic  state,  and  entitled  to  all  its  privileges ;  and  prose- 
lytes of  the  gate  (iV^n  ''.'?2),  who  were  not  circumcised,  but 
acknowledged  the  one  true  and  living  God  in  common  with 
Israel,  and  confessed  themselves  bound  to  observe  what  were 
called  the  seven  laws  of  Noah,  that  were  binding  on  all  men. 
These  prohibited  blasphemy,  idolatry,  murder,  incest,  plunder, 
disobedience  to  the  state,  and  the  eating  of  flesh  cut  from  a 
living  beast.  All  these,  with  the  exception  of  the  interdiction 
of  incest,  and  perhaps  plunder,  may  be  fairly  deduced  from 
Gen.  ix.  1  -7,  in  conjunction  with  the  preceding  portion  of  the 
written  word  ;  in  other  words,  from  the  second  bible  of  man- 
kind, which  terminates  with  the  ninth  chapter  of  Genesis,  or 
with  Gen.  xi.  9.  This  is  no  dark  intimation  that  the  Jews 
even  of  a  late  period  (Talmud,  from  200  to  500  A.  c.)  remem- 
bered and  recognised  the  Noachic  or  general  covenant  with 
mankind  as  still  co-existing  with  the  Abrahamic  or  special 
covenant  with  Israel.  On  no  other  ground  can  we  explain 
the  admission  of  proselytes  of  the  gate  to  any  standing  in  the 
community  of  Israel,  or  the  remarkable  reference  to  the  laws 
of  Noah.  These  strangers  of  the  gate  were  so  called  because 
they  were  admitted  into  the  gate  of  the  private  or  domestic 
court,  though  they  did  not  form  a  part  of  the  proper  family, 
and  in  the  temple  were  admitted  into  the  court  of  Gentiles, 
but  not  into  those  that  were  accessible  to  the  peculiar  people. 
They  also  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  the  cities  of  refuge  (Num. 
XXXV.  15)  and  certain  other  advantages  incidental  to  their  in- 
termingling with  the  people  of  God  (Lev.  xxv.  35-55);  but 
they  were  excluded  from  the  passover  and  the  other  sealing 
ordinances  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant.  Born  in  the  land. 
A  descendant  of  Israel,  or  of  one  incorporated  into  Israel  by 
circumcision,  and  so  a  native  and  an  heir  of  the  promised 
land.  In  your  diuellings.  The  obligation  to  abstain  from 
leaven  is  to  extend  to  those  who  remain  at  home  as  well  as 
to  those  who  resort  to  the  sanctuary  for  the  observance  of  the 
passover. 

In  this  passage  we  have  the  institution  of  the  feast  of  un- 
leavened bread,  which  was  the  continuation  of  the  passover 
meal,  and  was  to  be  celebrated  after  the  departure  from  Egypt. 


EXODUS  XII.  21-28.  115 

And  we  perceive  that  the  sacred  \vntor  is  more  intent  on  tlie 
rccoi-d  of  this  institution  than  on  the  detail  of  the  exodus 
itself 

V.  21-28.  Moses  connnunicates  to  the  peo])le  the  message 
he  had  received  from  the  Lord.  Tlie  record  of  this  communi- 
cation is  given  in  brief  terms.  Called  for  the  elders  of  Israel 
(Gen.  iii.  1  G).  These  Avere  the  official  organs  of  the  people, 
through  whom  it  was  easy  for  Moses  to  communicate  with  the 
whole  of  Isiuel.  This  message  was  delivered  to  them  in  the 
beginning  of  the  month,  and  cortaiidy  some  days  before  the 
tenth.  Draw  out.  Separate  from  the  Hock,  not  depart  {amX- 
66ire;),  as  the  Sept.  freely  rendei-s.  A  lamb.  The  original  is 
"  one  of  the  flock,"  (1^^*),  which,  according  to  the  previous  de- 
scription (v.  5),  here  means  a  lamb  or  a  kid.  And  kill  the 
'passover.  This  is  evidently  a  summary  of  the  directions 
given  by  Moses,  v.  22.  A  hutich  of  hyssop.  Here  the  direc- 
tion supplies  what  is  wanting  in  the  previous  record.  The 
hyssop  is  apparently  a  generic  terra  including  several  species. 
The  species  here  intended  is  generally  supposed  to  be,  not  the 
hyssojnis  officinalis,  but  according  to  Maimonides  and  others, 
a  plant  called  Sahtar  by  the  Arabs,  a  kind  of  organy,  an 
aromatic  jjlant  one  foot  high,  growing  on  stony  soil  (1  Kings 
v.  1  3).  A  bunch  according  to  tradition  consists  of  three  stalks. 
And  none  of  you  shall  come  out  from  the  door,  from  the  blood- 
besprinkled  door  within  which  is  safety.  The  destroyer. 
The  destructive  power,  agent  or  instrument  is  hereby  denoted. 
The  intervention  of  angels  is  not  necessarily  implied.  "  The 
destroyer,"  (o  oXoOpiuuv)  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (xi.  28), 
seems  to  be  the  Lord  himself  or  the  Angel  of  the  Lord. 

V.  2-i-27.  The  perpetual  observance  of  this  ordinance,  which 
was  enjoined  in  v.  14,  is  here  prescribed  with  great  minute- 
ness. This  service.  The  ordinance  is  here  designated  a  service, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  an  act  of  obedience  to  the  Divine  Master 
whose  servants  they  had  become.  What  mean  yc  ?  This 
ordinance  of  God  is  a  reasonable  service,  and,  therefore,  the 
children  have  a  right  to  ask,  and  the  parents  are  bound  to 
give  a  reason  for  its  observance.  It  is  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Lord's  passover.  Here  the  sacrificial  nature  of  the  passover 
is  expressly  asserted. 

V.  28.  The  prompt  obedience  of  the  people,  who  were  re- 


116  DEATH  OF  THE  FIRST  BORN. 

presented  by  their  elders  in  the  presence  of  Moses,  and  were 
informed  of  their  duty  through  these  officials,  is  here  emphati- 
cally recorded.  This  brief  statement  brings  up  another  thread 
of  the  narrative  to  the  point  of  time  when  the  last  plague  is 
to  be  executed.  The  selection  of  the  lamb,  the  keeping  of  it 
from  the  tenth  till  the  fourteenth  day,  during  which  interval 
we  have  supposed  the  three  days  of  darkness  to  have  occurred, 
the  slaying  of  the  paschal  lamb  between  the  evenings,  and  the 
partaking  of  it  in  the  prescribed  form,  have  now  been  all  accom- 
plished, 

v.  29-36.  We  have  now  the  narrative  of  the  death  of  the 
first-born  and  the  urgent  dismissal  of  Israel.  At  Tnidnight 
This  refers  to  the  point  when  the  half  of  the  night  is  past, 
and  therefore  to  the  darkest  period  in  the  whole  twenty-four 
hours.  Tlte  Lord  smote.  This  awful  stroke  came  from  the 
immediate  hand  of  God.  Its  miraculous  nature  appears  in 
the  prediction  of  the  time  and  other  circumstances  of  its  in- 
fliction, in  the  instantaneous  mode  of  its  occurrence,  in  the 
selection  of  the  Egyptians  alone  as  its  object,  and  in  the  further 
selection  of  the  first-born  alone  of  man  and  beast.  It  appears 
that  among  men  the  first-born  only  that  remained  unmarried 
in  the  house  of  their  parents  are  here  to  be  understood.  The 
first-born  of  Pharoh  is  slain,  while  he  himself  is  spared  though 
probably  a  first-born.  It  is  said  that  "  there  was  not  a  house 
where  there  was  not  one  dead  ; "  but  there  might  have  been 
grand-parents  and  parents  as  well  as  a  first-born  child  deceased 
in  one  house,  if  other  than  the  unmarried  first-born  had  been 
contemplated  in  the  threatened  judgment.  And  Pharoh  rose 
up  in  the  night.  The  peril  was  too  imminent  to  admit  of 
delay.  The  cry  of  intense  anguish  arose  from  every  home. 
The  awful  feeling  that  all  might  in  another  moment,  at  all 
events  by  another  judgment,  be  struck  down,  awoke  in  every 
breast.  A7id  he  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  by  night.  His 
indignant  resolve  to  see  Moses  no  more  is  soon  forgotten. 
The  meeting,  moreover,  could  hardly  be  called  an  interview, 
as  it  was  a  hurried  cry  in  the  dark,  imploring  them  to  arise 
and  go  forth  from  among  his  people,  with  all  the  sons  of  Israel, 
urging  them  to  take  their  fiocks  and  herds,  and  go,  and  be- 
seechmg  them  to  bless  him  also  before  they  depart.  By 
blessing  him  he  meant  releasing  him  from  the  menace  of  any 


EXODUS  XII.  37-4'2.  117 

other  awful  jndgmcnt  such  as  those  that  liad  already  befallen 
him  through  their  intervention.  It  is  plain  that  he  makes  no 
condition  with  them  as  to  returning  after  a  limited  time  to 
his  service.  He  is  most  anxious  to  pro])itiate  Moses  and  the 
(lod  of  Moses  by  gi-anting  precisely  and  fully  all  that  had  been 
demanded.  And  hence  he  says,  "  And  serve  the  Lord,  as  ye 
have  spoken,"  "  take  your  flocks  and  your  herds,  as  ye  have 
spoken."  It  is  now  a  ca.se  of  life  and  death  with  him.  Wiiat 
need  of  insisting  on  a  return,  if  we  are  to  be  all  dead  men  ? 
And  M'lzraini  ur(jed  the  j^eoj^le.  Their  first-born  were  all  dead. 
The  stroke  had  at  length  reached  their  persons,  and  had  laid 
low  the  very  dearest  of  every  household.  No  wonder  they 
expected  to  be  all  dead  men. 

V.  34-3G.  Took  their  dough  before  it  icas  leavened.  Here 
Ave  see  the  coincidence  of  historical  fsict  with  the  institution 
of  the  festival  of  unleavened  bread.  This  bread  was  com- 
memorative as  well  as  symbolical.  We  sue  not  to  infer  that 
it  was  the  design  of  the  people  on  this  occasion  to  leaven  their 
dough,  but  that  this  was  the  routine  that  was  wont  to  be 
pursued  on  ordinary  occasions.  Bound  nj)  in  their  garments. 
The  garment  (i^^P^O  was  a  square  piece  of  cloth,  that  was 
thrown  over  the  rest  of  the  dress  as  a  shawl  or  mantle,  and 
was  therefore  suitable  for  wrapping  up  moveable  articles  in  a 
journey,  v.  35,  36.  And  tliey  sjw'drd  Mizrahn,  The  trans- 
action here  recorded  is  an  act  of  compliance  with  a  direction 
given  as  far  back  as  the  commission  !Moses  received  at  the 
burning  bush  (iii.  21,  22),  and  reculled  to  mind  the  day  be- 
fore their  departure  (xL  2).  The  Israelites  were  now  in  the 
ascendant.  They  held  the  position  of  conquerors,  and  the 
Egyptians,  who  had  long  and  grievously  wronged  them  and 
profited  by  their  unrequited  labours,  felt  themselves  to  be  at 
their  mercy.  The  demands  made  and  the  gifts  bestowed  in 
such  circumstances  were  in  substance  a  si)oiling  of  Egypt. 
The  Israelites  were  now  in  a  position  to  extort  a  portion  of 
their  just  rights,  and  they  used  their  advantage  with  great 
moderation. 

V.  37-4'2.  The  departure  of  Isinel  from  the  land  of 
bondage.  From  Rameses,  not  the  town,  but  the  tract  of 
country  so  called  Gen.  xlvii.  11.  It  is  unwarranted  by  the 
text,  and   inconceivable    in   itself,  that  the  men,  wonien,  and 


118  THE  DEPARTURE  OF  ISRAEL. 

children,  with  their  cattle  and  moveables,  should  have  assem- 
bled at  the  town  in  order  immediately  to  depart  from  it.  It 
is  not  to  be  supposed  that  even  the  full-grown  men  started  in 
a  formed  body  from  any  one  town,  place  it  where  we  will. 
We  have  no  concern,  therefore,  with  the  site  of  Rameses  the 
town,  but  only  of  Rameses  the  province,  and  it  suffices  to 
know  that  it  was  the  border  land  of  Egypt  towards  Arabia. 
There  is  much  probability  in  the  opinion  that  it  included  the 
wady  Tumilat,  and  so  lay  east  of  the  Nile,  and  around  the 
Birket  Temsah,  or  crocodile  lake,  extending,  however,  consi- 
derably to  the  north  and  south  of  this  valley.  To  Sukkoth. 
This  site  was  probably  some  point  near  the  western  edge  of 
the  salt  marshes  or  bitter  lakes,  that  lay  between  the  Birket 
Temsah,  and  the  gulf  of  Suez,  and  had  a  lower  level  than  the 
sea.  It  is  plain  that  this  station  was  over  the  border  of  Ra- 
meses, and  that  it  was  the  first  rendezvous  of  the  people. 
Each  family,  or  party,  on  receiving  gifts  which  its  Egyptian 
neighbours  pressed  upon  its  acceptance,  turned  its  steps,  with 
its  fiocks,  and  herds,  and  beasts  of  burden,  towards  the  bor- 
der. The  females,  and  the  males  under  twenty,  attended  to 
the  flocks  and  herds,  and  moveable  chattels  which  they  were 
able  to  take  with  them,  and  never  contemplated  a  junction, 
even  at  Sukkoth.  They  slowly  and  steadily  moved  to  the 
east  and  south  along  the  north  end  of  the  bitter  lakes, 
some  down  the  western  side,  without  any  fear  of  the 
Egyptians,  who  were  engaged  in  burying  their  first- 
born, or  at  least  in  paying  them  the  last  sad  rites.  The 
males  over  twenty  years  of  age,  by  previous  concert, 
formed  themselves  into  marching  companies  at  their  respec- 
tive positions,  faced  toward  Sukkoth,  and  gradually  arranged 
themselves  into  tribes,  and  these,  it  may  be,  into  camps  or 
battalions,  by  the  time  they  approached  Sukkoth.  It  cannot 
surprise  us  that  the  site  of  Sukkoth  is  not  to  be  found.  It 
was  possibly  only  a  village,  or  a  convenient  place  for  the 
halting  of  a  large  body  of  men;  and  such  a  temporary  resting- 
place,  without  entrenchments,  left  no  trace  behind. 

About  six  hundred  thousand  foot.  This  is  an  avowed 
round  number.  It  is  below  rather  than  above  the  actual 
number  003,550  (Num.  ii.  32,  iii.  39).  From  a  calculation  of 
the  percentage  of  deaths  up  to  twenty  years  of  age,  it  appears 
that  those  above  that  age  are  to  those  below  it  as  12  to   5. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  ISRAEL.  119 

Hence  the  ■whole  number  of  ui.alcs  would  be  about  850,000. 
I'll  is  would  give  a  sum  total  of  males  and  females  of  about 
1,700,000.  The  same  result  follows  from  the  nmnber  of 
Levites,  from  a  month  old  and  ujjwards,  being  22,000  (Num. 
iii.  9),  while  those  from  30  to  50  were  8580  (Num.  iv.  48). 
For  the  number  from  20  to  30  may  be  taken  at  half  of  those 
from  30  to  50,  that  is  4'290  ;  and  the  number  above  50  may  Ije 
two-thirds  of  this,  or  2 8 (JO.  Hence  those  above  20  would 
be  about '(8580 +  4.290 +  28G0)  15,730,  and  consequently 
those  below  would  be  about  (22,000 — 1 5,730)  G270.  These 
numbers  are  nearly  in  the  ratio  of  5  to  2.  Tliis  gives 
840,000  for  the  males,  and  1,080,000  for  the  whole.  This 
sum  has  to  receive  a  slight  augmentation  for  the  exact  num- 
ber and  for  the  Levites,  by  which  it  reaches  1,734,540. 

The  period  of  sojourn  in  Egj^pt  was,  according  to  our  cal- 
culation 210  years.  As  the  average  of  seven  generations 
from  Arpakshad  to  Nahor  was  31  years,  when  men  lived  from 
438  to  148  years,  we  may  safely  assume  30  years  as 'a  gene- 
ration, and,  therefore,  seven  generations  in  210  years  (see  on 
Gen.  1.  22-2G)  As  Abraham  had  six  sons  by  Keturah,  and 
Jacob  six  by  Leah,  we  may  also  suppose  each  parent  to  have 
four  sons  on  an  average,  when  the  Divine  blessing  of  fruitful- 
ness  was  promised  (Gen.  xxxv.  11),  and  actually  bestowed  in 
Egypt  (i.  7).  With  G8  males  for  the  first  term,  8  for  the 
number  of  terms,  and  4  for  the  common  ratio,  the  last  term, 
or  the  number  of  males  at  the  exodus,  would  be  1,1 1 4,1 1 2.  This 
is  considerably  above  the  actual  number,  and  therefore  allows 
for  a  smaller  number  of  generations  in  particular  lines,  as  that 
of  Moses.  With  a  special  promise  of  fruitfulness,  and  an  ex- 
ceedingly fertile  soil  this  cannot  be  regarded  as  either  an  im- 
possible or  improbable  increase. 

Ajxirt  from  the  little  ones.  The  little  ones  here  denote 
the  young  of  both  sexes.  Tlie  women  being  not  otherwise 
mentioned,  are  implied  in  this  term. 

v.  38,  39,  A  mixed  multitude  is  literally  rendered  by  the 
Sept.  sTi/j,ixTos  'TToXiig,  a  numerous  mixture.  It  seems  to  de- 
note a  congeries  or  gathering  without  order,  in  contact  with  the 
marshalled  host  of  000,000  men.  It  is  generally  supposed 
to  have  been  a  rabble  of  non- Israelites,  consisting  of  slaves 
and  disaffected  Egyptians,  who  were  glad  to  flee  the  countr\^, 
and  is  usually  identified  with  the  gathering  (^DEDN)  of  murmur- 


120  THE  DEPARTURE  OF  ISRAEL. 

ers  or  mutineers,  who  are  distinguished  from  the  children  of 
Israel  in  Num.  xi.  4.  We  do  not  pretend  to  deny  that  such 
were  included.  If  the  shepherd  kings  were  at  this  time 
ruling  the  north  of  Egypt,  we  may  readily  grant  that  many  of 
the  natives  woul  d  be  dissatisfied  with  their  civil  condition.  But 
it  is  possible  that  the  multitude  here  described  comprised  the 
whole  of  those  who  did  not  form  a  part  of  the  marshalled  host, 
and  therefore  included  the  women  and  youth  of  the  nation, 
who  with  the  slaves,  if  there  were  any  such,  were  employed 
in  looking  after  the  cattle  in  the  various  ranges  of  country 
where  they  were  feeding.  Hence  it  is  added,  that  flocks  and 
herds,  even  very  much  cattle,  went  up  tuith  them.  At  all 
events,  it  is  plain  on  the  face  of  the  narrative,  that  the  young 
people  and  the  women  were  apart  from  the  regular  host,  and 
in  charge  of  the  cattle.  And  it  is  probable  that  a  portion 
of  the  full  grown  men,  those  most  advanced  in  years,  were  also 
associated  with  them  in  their  wandering  course.  They  baked 
the  dough  (see  on  ver.  34).  This  was  generally  the  work  of 
women ;  but  we  know  that  the  Bedawi  in  the  desert,  when 
on  an  expedition  apart  from  his  household,  can  cook  his  own 
food.  We  find  Abraham  directing  a  young  man  to  dress  a 
calf  (Gen.  xviii.  7),  and  Jacob  seething  pottage  for  his  own 
use  (Gen.  xxv.  29.)  Unleavened  cakes,  round  cak.es  haked on  sh 
kind  of  pan,  or  even  among  th  e  cinders  in  their  presen t  h aste.  A  n  y 
provision.  The  word  niv  denotes  that  which  is  procured  by 
the  chace,  wild  animals  of  any  kind,  and  here  provisions  in 
general,  especially  for  a  journey. 

V,  40-42.  Who  sojourned  in  Mizraim.  The  Sept.  in  the 
cod.  Vatic,  has  here  rj\'  Ta^wzriSav  h  yp  Aiyo-ru  xai  sv  yp 
Xavadv,  "  whicli  they  sojourned  in  Egypt  and  in  KenaanX' 
In  the  cod.  Alex,  it  runs  thus;  "which  they  and  thpi^ 
fathers  sojourned  in  Egypt  and  in  Kenaan."  The  Sam^  has 
the  verse  thus  :  "  and  the  sojourning  of  the  sons  of  Israel 
and  of  their  fathers,  who  (or  which  they)  sojourned  in  the 
land  of  Kenaan  and  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  &;c."  These 
variants  serve  to  prove  that  the  Hebrew  text  has  the  correct 
reading.  For  h  yp  Xavaav  proves  itself  to  be  an  addition  by 
coming  after  sv  yp  Alyv-~TM  when  it  ought  in  point  of  time  to 
be  before  it.  Tliey  also  serve  to  show  the  meaning  attached 
to  the  passage  by  the  Sam.  copy  and  the  Sept.  version.    They 


EXODUS  XII.  4  0-4  2.  121 

both  reckon  the  430  years  from  the  call  of  Abraham.  But 
from  a  narrow  view  of  tlie  pliancy  of  language,  they  con- 
cluded that  "  the  sons  of  Israel "  could  not  be  freely  used  to 
denote  the  race  from  Abraham  down,  and  that  the  phrase, 
"  who  sojourned  in  Mizraim,"  did  not  admit  of  their  having 
sojourned  a  previous  part  of  the  time  in  Kenaan.  Hence 
their  emendations,  or  rather  ex])lications.  But  the  author 
evidently  used  the  present  name  of  the  race  to  represent 
that  race,  even  when  the  name  was  not  in  existence.  And 
he  emploj'-s  the  expression,  "  who  (or  which  they)  sojourned 
in  Mizraim,"  now  that  he  w{is  sojourninrj  still,  but  in  another 
place,  naturally  enough  to  describe  that  sojourning  previous 
to  the  exodus,  of  which  the  residence  in  Mizraim  had  been 
the  latest  and  by  far  the  most  signilicant  part.  Besides, 
Abraham  had  been  in  Egypt  at  the  very  beginning  of  their 
sojourning  (Gen.  xii.  10),  and  Joseph  had  been  22  yeai-s  in 
that  country  before  the  arrival  of  Jacob's  family.  Other 
reasons  concur  to  prove  that  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  author. 
Abraham  is  informed  that  "his  seed  (1)  shall  be  strangers  in 
a  land  that  is  not  theirs,  and  (2)  shall  serve  them,  and  (3)  they 
shall  afflict  them  four  hundred  years"  (Gen.  xv.  13).  Now 
Isaac  was  born  when  Abraham  was  a  hundred  years  old,  and 
therefore  thirty  years  after  he  was  called.  The  exodus 
therefore  was  400  years  after  the  birth  of  Isaac.  But  Isaac 
was  GO  years  old  when  Jacob  was  born,  and  Jacob  was 
180  years  old  when  he  came  into  Egypt  (Gen.  xxv.  2G  ; 
xlvii.  9).  Hence  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  lasted  210  [400  — 
(GO +  130)]  years.  Again,  from  Ex.  vi.  lG-20,  we  learn 
that  Moses  was  the  grandson  of  Levi  by  the  mother's  side, 
and  the  great-grandson  by  the  father's  side.  As  Moses 
was  80  at  the  exodus,  if  Jokcbcd  was  born  when  Levi  was 
100  years  old,  and  therefore  GG  years  after  the  immigra- 
tion, she  must  have  been  G4  at  the  birth  of  Moses,  (GG -f- 
G4  +  S0=210).  It  is  manifest  that  we  cannot  add  220 
years  to  this  period  without  presuming  with  some  expositors 
that  several  generations  are  omitted.  The  writor,  however, 
plainly  gives  us  all  the  links  of  the  genealogical  chain,  and  not 
the  slightest  hint  of  any  omission.  He  is  precise  not  only 
in  names  but  in  relation.ships  and  other  circumstances.  We 
have  no  more  right  to  insert  new  and  unknown   links  here. 


122  THE  DEPARTURE  OF  ISRAEL. 

than  in  the  genealogies  before  and  after  Noah.  And  lastly, 
the  Apostle  Paul  (Gal.  iii.  17),  affirms  that  the  law  was  430 
years  after  the  covenant  with  Abraham.  Any  one  of  these 
arguments  is  sufficient  to  confirm  what  we  hold  to  be  the 
fair  interpretation  of  the  text.  On  the  selfsame  day,  imme- 
diately after  the  close  of  the  430  years.  A  night  of  obser- 
vance,  to  be  kept  as  a  commemorative  solemnity  in  honour 
of  the  Lord  their  Deliverer.  For  hringing  them  out.  The 
occasion  of  its  appointment  is  here  stated.  Such  is  this  night. 
The  perpetuity  of  this  observance  is  expressed  with  solemn 
emphasis. 

V.  43-50,  This  paragraph  determines  who  are  to  partake 
of  the  passover.  This  it  was  necessary  to  define  so  soon  as 
the  nation  became  independent,  and  therefore  at  liberty  to 
admit  and  exclude.  Ho  alien,  son  of  a  foreign  land,  a  general 
term  for  all  non-Israelites.  Every  inaiis  servant  that  is  bought 
with  his  money.  Such  a  man  belongs  to  his  master,  and 
therefore  to  his  master's  nation.  It  is  to  be  observed  here 
that  the  legislator  finds  a  kind  of  bondage  in  existence,  and 
legislates  for  it.  He  determines  that  the  slave  is  entitled  to 
all  the  religious  privileges  of  his  master.  A  sojourner,  an 
inhabitant  who  is  not  incorporated  into  Israel  by  circumcision. 
A  hireling,  a  mere  day-labourer,  who  is  in  the  same  relation. 
V.  46,  47.  In  one  house.  Where  two  families  are  joined  in 
order  to  form  a  large  enough  company  for  the  lamb,  they  are 
to  assemble  in  one  house.  It  is  not  to  be  separated  or  part 
of  it  carried  to  another  house,  and  a  bone  of  it  shall  not  be 
broken.  This  is  to  denote  the  spiritual  unity  of  those  who 
partake  of  the  one  unbroken  lamb.  All  the  asse'^nbly.  They 
are  to  be  all  one  body.  As  circumcision  represents  their  new 
birth,  the  eating  of  the  paschal  lamb  is  to  shadow  forth  the 
perpetuation  of  their  spiritual  life  by  faith  in  God.  v.  48,  49. 
A  stranger,  a  foreigner  who  resides  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time 
with  the  Israelites.  Having  been  circumcised,  his  family  is 
incoi-porated  into  Israel,  and  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of 
the  chosen  people.  Thus  the  door  is  opened  wide  to  all 
Gentiles  who  wish  to  partake  in  the  blessings  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant,  as  circumcision  would  in  those  days  be 
considered  no  hardship,     v.  50.  This  verse  closes  the  account 


EXODUS  XII.   ul.  l-*^ 

of  the  celebration  of  the  passovcr  in  conformity  with  all  the 
requirements  of  the  divine  command. 

V  51  This  verse  is  properly  separated  from  the  prece.ling 
r,ara<aai.h,  as  it  is  the  closing  summary  of  the  narrative  ot  the 
deliN-erance  of  Israel  from  the  land  of  bondage,  winch  here 
runs  parallel  with  the   record  of  the  institution  of  the  pass- 

over.  „    ,     i         1  1 

This  chapter  completes  the  account  of  the  ten  plagues,  by 
which  the  king  of  Egypt  is  at  length  constrained  to  let  Israel 
..0  out  of  the  land  of  bondage.  Ho  who  might  have  over- 
whelmed all  the  might  of  Egypt  by  one  awful  stroke  displays 
His  lonrr-suffering  forbearance  by  sending  two  verbal  messages 
to  Pliaroh  and  only  after  a  second  contemptuous  refusal,  pro- 
coediiK-  to  inflict  a  moderate  chastisement,  to  bring  him  to 
repentance.  The  haughty  obstinacy  of  the  king  requires  a 
tenfold  infliction,  gradually  increasing  in  severity,  before  it 
can  be  effectually  overcome.  And  it  is  only  finally  and 
for  ever  subdued  by  his  perishing  in  the  Red  Sea. 


SECTION  III.— THE  EXODUS. 

IX.    THE  ESCAPE  OF  ISRAEL. EX.  XIII.-XV. 

CHAP.  XIII.    SANCTIFICATION  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN. 

10.  ^0*0*  to  days.  The  attacliment  of  n  paragogic  to  tins 
plural  transforms  it  into  an  adverb,  referring  to  a  stated  or 
natural  circle  of  days.  From  the  other  passages  in  which  it 
is  used  (Jud.  xi.  40,  xxi.  ]  9,  1  Sam.  i.  3,  ii.  19)  we  are  led  to 
conclude  that  it  denotes  a  year. 

12  "ips  that  ivMch  opens  the  womb.  The  first-born.  r. 
cleave,  open,     "lit^  the  casting,  or  young  of  an  animal. 

1 6.  n'lDDiD  occurs  only  in  this  passage  and  Deut.  vi.  8,  xi, 
18,  where  it  denotes  frontlets  bound  with  a  fillet  round  the 
head.     The  root  is  supposed  to  mean  to  go  round. 

18.  D^c^pn  This  means  'marshalled,  in  inarching  array,  or 
according  to  some,  halving  the  loins  girt.  The  root  in  the 
former  case  is  the  numeral  t^'^^  Jive,  which  is  the  basis  of 
arrangement ;  in  the  latter  the  noun  t^^on  rendered  the  loin. 
The  word  is  here  rendered  Ts/j^Tryj  yivio,  in  the  Sept.,  girded  in 
the  Targ.,  and  armati  in  the  Vulgate.  It  occurs  only  in  four 
passages,  here  and  in  Jos.  i.  14,  iv.  12,  Judg.  vii.  11.  In 
Jos.  i.  14  it  denotes  separate  from  the  women  and  children, 
and  in  marching  order  (Sept.  ixiXjjmi).  In  Jos.  iv.  12,  13  it 
acfain  sio:nifies  in  marching  order,  and  is  distinguished  from  "'^vn 
5<23!fn  equipped  for  the  war  (Sept.  hiev.ixjat^iihoi,  and  i'lj\moi  slg 
/jjd^Tjv).  In  Judg.  vii.  11  it  refers  to  soldiers  in  camp,  and 
therefore  points  rather  to  arrangement  than  armour  (Sept. 
'Tre'^T'^zovTo).  It  is  evident  that  the  Seventy  only  conjectured 
what  might  be  the  meaning  of  the  word.  From  all  the  con- 
texts  in  which  it  occurs  the  meaning  appears  to  be  in  march- 


EXODUS  XIII.  125 

ing  array,  and  therefore  apart  from  tlic  women  and  children, 
the  (question  of  arms  being  left  open. 

20.  DriK  Sept,  'OOutM,  Etham  {atiom  the  border  of  the  sea, 
Jablonsky).     The  derivation  is  uncertain. 

And  the  Lord  spake  luito  Moses,  saying  ;  2  Sanctify  unto  me 
every  first-born,  that  openetli  every  womb,  among  the  sons  of  Israel, 
of  man  and  of  beast :  it  is  mine. 

3  And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Remember  this  day,  in  which 
ye  came  out  of  ^lizraim,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage  ;  for  by  strength 
of  hand  the  Loud  brouglit  ycju  out  thence  :  and  nothing  leavened  shall 
bo  eaten.  4  This  day  come  ye  out  in  the  month  Abib.  5  And  it 
shall  be,  when  the  Lord  shall  bring  thee  into  the  laud  of  the  Kena- 
anite,  and  the  Hittite,  and  the  Amorite,  and  the  Hivite,  and  the  Jebu- 
sito,  which  He  sware  unto  thy  fathers  to  give  thee,  a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  that  thou  shalt  keep  this  service  in  this  month.  6 
Seven  days  shalt  thou  eat  unleavened  bread  ;  and  in  the  seventh  day 
shall  be  a  feast  to  the  Lord.  7  Unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten  the 
seven  days ;  and  nothing  leavened  shall  be  seen  with  thee,  neither 
shall  leaven  be  seen  with  thee  in  all  thy  border.  8  And  thou  shalt 
show  thy  sons  in  that  day,  saying,  It  is  on  account  of  that  which  the 
Lord  did  unto  me  when  I  came  out  of  jMizraim.  9  And  it  sliall  be 
for  a  sign  unto  thee  upon  thy  hand,  and  for  a  memorial  between  thine 
eyes,  that  the  law  of  the  Lord  may  be  in  thy  mouth  :  for  with  a 
strong  hand  hath  the  Lord  brought  thee  out  of  Mizraim.  10  And 
thou  shalt  keep  this  ordinance  in  its  season  from  year  to  year.     ^  20. 

1 1  And  it  shall  be,  when  the  Lord  bringeth  thee  into  the  land  of 
the  Kenaanite,  as  he  swarc  unto  thee  and  to  thy  fathers,  and  hath 
given  it  thee,  12  That  thou  shalt  set  apart  all  [that  openeth  the 
womb  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  every  firstling,  that  cometh  of  a  beast 
which  thou  hast,  the  males  shall  be  the  Lord's.  13  And  every  first- 
ling of  an  ass  thou  shalt  redeem  with  a  lamb,  and  if  thou  wilt  not  re- 
deem it,  then  thou  shalt  break  its  neck  :  and  every  first-born  of  man 
among  thy  sons  thou  shalt  redeem.  14  And  it  shall  be,  when  thy 
son  asketh  thee  in  time  to  come,  saying,  What  is  this  1  that  thou  shalt 
say  unto  him.  By  strength  of  hand  the  Lord  brought  us  out  of  Miz- 
raim, out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  15  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
I'haroh  would  hardly  let  us  go,  that  the  Lord  slew  all  the  first-born 
in  the  land  of  ^lizraim,  from  the  first-born  of  man  to  the  first-born  of 
boast :  therefore  I  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  all  that  openeth  the  womb, 
being  males,  and  all  the  first-born  of  my  sons  I  redeem.     16  And  it 


126  SANCTIFICATION  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN. 

shall  he  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand,  and  for  frontlets  between  thine 
eyes  :  for  by  strength  of  hand  the  Lord  brought  us  out  of  Mizraim. 
16  §  §  §  15. 
17  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Pharoh  let  the  people  go,  that  God 
led  them  not  by  the  way  of  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  though  that 
was  near :  for  God  said,  Lest  the  people  repent,  when  they  see  war, 
and  return  to  Mizraim.  18  And  God  led  the  people  round  by  the 
way  of  the  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  went  up 
marshalled  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  19  And  Moses  took  the  bones 
of  Joseph  with  him  :  for  he  had  straitly  sworn  the  sons  of  Israel,  say- 
ing, God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  hence 
with  you.  20  And  they  set  out  from  Sukkoth,  and  encamped  in 
Etham,  on  the  edge  of  the  wilderness.  21  And  the  Lord  went  before 
them  by  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  to  lead  them  the  way,  and  by  night 
in  a  pillar  of  fire  to  give  them  light ;  to  go  by  day  and  night.  22 
The  pillar  of  cloud  did  not  cease  by  day,  nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night ' 
before  the  people.  IF  21. 

The  record  of  the  first  step  in  the  departure  out  of  Egypt 
is  necessarily  involved  in  the  narrative  of  the  tenth  plague. 
But  though  the  people  have  been  dismissed,  they  are  not  clear 
out  of  the  country.  The  grand  scene  of  the  exodus  yet  re- 
mains. This  is  the  passage  through  the  E-ed  Sea.  And  as 
soon  as  the  people  are  come  to  the  place  wliere  the  Lord  first 
appeared  to  Moses,  the  exodus  may  be  said  to  be  complete. 
These  events  occupy  the  third  six  chapters  of  this  book. 
They  contain  two  subdivisions  ;  first,  the  crossing  of  the  Red 
Sea  in  three  chapters,  and  next  the  journey  to  Horeb,  occupy- 
ing the  remaining  three. 

The  present  chapter  contains  the  directions  concerning  the 
sanctification  of  the  firstborn,  and  some  details  concerning 
the  manner  of  their  journey. 

V.  1-16.  This  paragraph  relates  to  the  sanctification  of  the 
first-born.  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses.  As  the  words 
"  in  Mizraim  "  are  no  longer  added,  we  may  presume  that  this 
is  the  first  communication  given  after  they  reached  the 
border.  Sanctify  unto  me,  set  apart  as  mine,  and  therefore 
holy.  Every  jirst-horn  that  is  a  male  (v.  1 2).  Of  man  and 
beast.  As  the  first-born  of  man  and  beast  perished  among 
the  Egyptians,  so  are  they  equally  to  be  given  over  to  the 
Lord  among  the  Israelites.      That  openeth  every  womb,  the  first- 


EXODUS  XIII.  3-10.  127 

born  of  every  mother.  Tt  is  mine.  All  tilings  belong  to  God 
by  right  of  creation.  All  Israel  belonged  to  him  by  right  of 
redemption.  The  first-born  belong  to  him  by  right  of  passing 
over  them  when  Egypt's  first-born  were  destroyed.  Hence 
the  consecration  of  the  first-born  is  clearly  connected  with  the 
passover,  and  accordingly  is  prescribed  immediately  after  the 
first  step  of  the  exodus. 

V.  3-10.  Hence  ^Moses  now  proceeds  to  enjoin  upon  the 
people  the  observance  of  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  which 
commences  with  the  passover.  Remember  this  day.  Festivals 
are  commemorative  of  some  great  event  in  the  ways  of  God 
with  man.  This  day  is  the  fii"st  day  of  unleavened  bread,  the 
first  day  of  Israel's  emancipation.  Out  of  the  house  of  bond- 
cifje,  literally  of  bondsmen.  From  a  position  of  freedom  and 
honour  they  had  been  unjustly  and  ungratefully  reduced  to 
the  condition  of  serfs.  By  strength  of  hand,  a  variation  of 
the  phrase  "  by  a  strong  hand."  Nothing  leavened.  The 
distinguishing  mark  of  this  festival  is  that  no  leaven  shall  be 
used  in  food.  v.  4.  Abib  is  the  month  of  green  ears,  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  which  was  the  first  full  moon  after  the  vernal 
equinox.  v.  5-7.  Shall  bring  thee  into  the  land.  This 
festival  is  to  be  a  perpetual  ordinance  in  the  land  of  promise. 
The  five  tribes  here  enumerated  are  all  descended  from  Kenaan. 
The  Perizzite  of  Gen.  xv.  20,  and  Ex.  iii.  8,  is  here  omitted, 
perhaps  because  only  Kenaanitcs  are  here  to  be  mentioned. 
In  the  seventh  day  shall  be  a  feast  to  the  Lord,  as  well  as  in 
the  first,  which  is  to  be  understood  from  fuller  communica- 
tions. V.  8-10.  And  thou  shalt  sho^v  thy  son.  The  duty  of 
parental  instruction  in  religious  truth  is  here  enjoined.  The 
history  of  the  ways  of  God  with  man  is  a  precious  trust,  to  be 
conveyed  faithfully  from  father  to  son.  A  full  knowledge  of 
our  relation  to  God  is  only  to  be  obtained  by  an  acquaintance 
with  the  main  facts  of  his  past  dealing  with  us.  Hence  a 
commemorative  ordinance  is  valuable  ;  but  it  only  rises  to  its 
full  inqiortance  when  its  origin  and  significance  are  cleai-ly 
explained  and  well  understood.  The  redemption  out  of  Egypt 
is  the  present  fulfilment  of  a  great  promise,  and  at  the  same 
time  an  earnest  of  a  still  greater  fulfilment  in  the  futiu-e.  The 
present  is  always  big  with  the  future,  and  this  is  nowhere  so 
signally  realized  as  in  the  promises  of  God,  and  the  develop- 


128  SANCTIFICATION  OF  THE  FIRST-BORN. 

merit  of  man.  v.  9.  A  sign  unto  thee  upon  thy  hand.  The 
celebration  of  the  passover,  being  thus  expounded  and  observed 
from  generation  to  generation,  will  be  for  a  sign  uj^on  the 
hand,  and  a  frontlet  between  the  eyes.  There  is  a  beautiful 
consecration  of  personal  ornament  in  this  injunction.  These 
ornaments,  being  embellishments  of  the  person,  came  often 
before  the  eye  and  the  mind  as  pleasing  objects  of  contempla- 
tion. Being  gifts,  and  therefore  keepsakes  or  memonals  of 
pure  affection,  they  became  bonds  of  love  and  gratitude, 
attaching  the  heart  to  the  giver.  The  armlet  or  bracelet, 
moreover,  clasped  the  hand,  the  seat  of  power,  and 
hinted  at  the  lesson  that  the  actions  are  to  be  bound  by 
the  law  of  love.  The  fillet  or  frontlet  encircles  the  head,  the 
seat  of  intelligence,  and  similarly  intimates  that  the  thoughts 
are  to  be  regulated  by  the  law  of  truth.  The  jewel  on  the 
forehead,  between  the  eyes,  from  which  this  ornament  is 
called  the  frontlet,  being  placed  on  the  most  conspicuous  part 
of  the  j)erson,  is  an  emblem  of  frank  confession,  or  brave 
glorying  in  a  person  or  a  principle.  That  the  sign  on  the 
hand,  or  between  the  eyes,  was  not  a  brand,  such  as  was  put 
upon  slaves  and  soldiers,  nor  a  kind  of  tattooing,  such  as  we 
still  find  among'  savage  nations,  is  manifest  from  Deut.  vi.  8, 
xi.  18,  where  they  are  said  to  be  put  on  by  binding,  and 
from  the  phylacteries  of  the  Jews,  which  were  bound  on  the 
forehead,  and  on  the  wrist  of  the  left  hand.  These  phylac- 
teries or  Tephillin  (prayer-bands)  were  strips  of  parchment, 
on  which  were  written.  Ex,  xiii.  1-10,  11-lG,  Deut.  vi.  4-9, 
xi.  13-21.  These  were  enclosed  in  little  boxes  or  cases  of 
leather  attached  to  leather  straps,  by  which  they  were 
fastened  to  the  places  where  they  were  worn.  This  custom 
was  not  prescribed  by  the  present  passage,  and  can  only  be 
regarded  as  an  indication  of  a  feeble  and  declining  piety. 
Here  it  is  intimated  that  the  observance  of  the  passover,  with 
its  accompanying  ordinances,  is  to  serve  for  a  sign  upon  our 
hands,  and  a  memorial  between  our  eyes,  and,  therefore,  to 
remind  us  of  the  beauty  of  holiness ;  to  awaken  our  attach- 
ment to  the  heavenly  Friend  who  gave  us  this  ordinance  as 
the  symbol  of  our  redemption  to  freedom ;  to  bend  our 
actions  and  our  thoughts  by  true  love,  the  law  of  reason  and 
of  heaven  ;  and  to  signalise  our  thankful  and  open  glorifying 


EXODUS  XIII.  1-lG,  129 

in  the  Lord,  and  in  his  covenant.  Tl»e  sacraments  of  the 
Divine  appointment,  and  not  tlie  phyhicteries  of  our  own 
invention,  are  to  be  the  signs  upon  our  hands,  and  the  front- 
lets between  our  eyes,  telling  of  our  faith  in  God  ;  our  recon- 
ciliation to  hiui ;  our  entrance  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God.  They  are  to  be  the  ornaments  of  our  spiritual 
beauty,  and  the  speaking  instruments  of  God's  everlasting 
love  to  us,  and  of  our  new-born  attachment  to  him.  Tliat 
the  law  of  the  Lord  may  be  in  iky  nwuth,  as  a  subject  of 
conversation,  and,  therefore,  of  habitual  thought  and  obser- 
vance. V.  10,  III  its  season,  its  appointed  time.  From  year 
to  year,  literally  from  days  to  days.  But  the  word  days  here 
is  used  in  a  collective  sense  to  denote  a  definite  and  well- 
known  circle  of  days,  that  is,  a  year. 

v.  11-lC.  Moses  now  communicates  to  the  people  the  Law 
concerning  the  consecration  of  the  first-boni.  I)iio  the  land 
of  the  Kenaanite.  This  regulation  is  to  come  into  force  when 
Israel  shall  reach  the  land  in  which  he  is  to  dwull.  It  is 
here  called  the  land  of  the  Kenaanite,  as  all  the  tribes  before- 
mentioned  were  descended  from  Kenaan.  The  eventual 
residence  of  Israel,  for  forty  years,  in  the  wilderness,  was  in 
consequence  of  the  unbelief  and  disobedience  of  the  out-coming 
generation,  and  is,  therefore,  not  here  contemplated  ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  is  presumed  that  they  are  to  pass  immedi- 
ately through  the  wilderness  into  the  promised  land.  An 
interval  of  a  year,  however,  was  to  be  expected  in  the 
peninsula  of  Sinai,  and  for  this  period  a  special  provision  will 
be  found  (Num.  iii.)  As  he  sware  unto  thee.  He  sware  unto 
them  when  he  acknowledged  the  oath  which  he  sware  unto 
their  fathers,  in  which  they  were  named  (Ex.  vi.  8,  Gen.  xxii. 
1  G,  xxiv.  7.)  v.  12.  Set  apart,  cause  to  pass  over  unto  the 
Lord  as  his  own.  v.  13.  And  every  firstling  of  an  as.i. 
The  ass  is  here  specified  as  an  example  of  w^hat  was  to  be 
done  in  the  case  of  unclean  animals.  It  seems  probable  that 
the  as.s  was  at  this  time  the  only,  or  at  all  events,  the  chief 
beast  of  burden  possessed  by  the  Israelites.  It  is  a  much 
finer  animal  in  the  East  than  in  these  countries.  IV/vn  shall 
redeem  vjith  a  lamb.  To  redeem  is  to  give  a  quittance  for 
the  ass,  which  is  fixed  by  law  to  be  a  lamb  to  be  offered  in 
sacrifice  in  its  stead.     A)Ld  if  thou  ivUt  not  redeem  it.     It  is 

I 


180  FROM  SUCCOTH  TO  ETHAM. 

the  Lord's,  from  the  time  that  he  smote  the  first-bom  of  every 
domestic  animal  among  the  Egyptians,  and  not  among  the 
Israelites.  As  it  cannot  be  offered  in  sacrifice,  it  is  to  be  put 
to  "death.  To  put  a  brute  animal  to  death  without  inflicting 
unnecessary  pain,  when  occasion  requires,  cannot  be  called 
cruelty.  The  command  of  the  Creator  is  at  least  one  occasion 
on  which  this  may  be  done,  as  He  who  gave  life  can  withdraw 
it.  The  alternative  of  redeeming  or  destroying  the  firstling 
of  an  unclean  animal  is  a  temporary  arrangement,  until  a 
sacerdotal  order  has  been  set  up.  From  that  time  forward 
the  alternative  comes  to  be  to  redeem  according  to  the 
estimate  of  the  priests,  and  add  a  fifth  part,  or  surrender  it 
to  the  priests,  by  whom  it  is  sold  at  his  estimation  (Lev. 
xxvii.,  27).  The  redemption  of  the  first-born  of  man  admits 
of  no  alternative.  The  ransom  was  five  shekels  (Num.  iii.  47). 
V.  14-16.  The  custom  of  redeeming  the  first-born,  which 
naturally  flows  from  the  passover,  serves,  in  like  manner,  for 
a  sign  on  the  hand  and  a  frontlet  between  the  eyes,  as 
explained  on  v.  9. 

V.  17-22.  A  single  stage,  and  some  general  features  of  the 
future  march  of  Israel  are  here  stated.  God  led  them.  One 
leading  feature  of  their  course  henceforth  is  that  they  are 
under  the  guidance  of  the  most  High.  Antecedent  to  this 
guidance,  and  irrespective  of  all  covenant  with  the  guided, 
he  is  the  everlasting  Potentate  from  whom  all  creation  and 
all  providence  flow,  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible.  In 
this  character  he  arranges  the  first  direction  given  to  their 
course,  as  far  as  it  depends  on  the  natural  relations  of  things. 
Two  ways  were  before  the  people,  the  one  leading  north-east, 
directly  towards  the  land  of  promise  ;  the  other  nearly  south, 
towards  the  Sinaitic  peninsula.  Before  they  started,  it  was 
necessary  to  determine  which  they  were  to  take,  that  no  time 
might  be  lost,  and  no  misunderstanding  might  arise.  By  the 
way  of  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  This  way  was  familiar 
to  the  sons  of  Israel  in  former  times,  when  Ephraim  asserted 
a  claim,  and  maintained  a  position  in  the  regions  from  Shekem 
to  Gath  (1  Chron.  vii.  21-24),  and  was  well  known  at  all  times 
by  the  caravans  of  traders  from  Damascus  and  Gilead  (Gen. 
xxxvii.  25).  Lest  the  j^eople  re loent  ivhen  they  see  war.  This 
is  the  determining  motive  springing  from  the  things  of  the 


EXODUS  XIII.   10.  131 

i 

iintui-al  world.  It  is  sufficieut  to  shape  their  course  for  the 
present,  and  on  the  score  of  economy  no  further  influence  is 
brought  into  operation.  But  other  and  higher  motives,  aris- 
ing in  the  sphere  of  the  supernatural,  lie  hid  in  the  counsels 
of  Jehovah,  that  is,  of  God  as  he  is,  the  God  of  the  actual 
and  the  spiritual.  The  natural  reason,  then,  not  the  super- 
natural, is  here  given  for  directing  their  course  south\\ard. 
Boniul  by  tJte  way  of  ilie  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea.  This 
\vay  was  round  in  reference  to  Kenaan,  the  place  of  their 
destination.  The  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea  is  so  called,  in 
contradistinction  to  that  which  they  would  have  crossed  in 
the  straight  road  to  the  land  of  Kenaan.  The  former  is  here 
called  the  wilderness  of  Etham.  Both  were  included  under 
the  wider  term  Shur  (Gen.  xvi.  7,  xxv.  18  ;  Ex.  xv.  22). 
MarsJiaUed.  From  tiie  usage  of  this  word,  we  infer  that  the 
I'ldl-growu  men  formed  a  body,  arranged  in  columns  or  bat- 
talions, for  orderly  march,  apart  from  the  women  and  children. 
The  latter  were  not  on  this  occasion  assembled  together  ;  but 
assisted,  it  may  be,  by  small  detachments  of  men,  moved  along 
in  separate  companies  with  the  flocks  and  chattels  of  the 
nation.  Meanwhile,  the  full-grown  men  gradually  mustered, 
and  now  marched  in  order,  arranged  on  the  basis  of  five,  and 
having  probably  captains  of  tens,  of  hundreds,  of  thousands, 
and  of  greater  numbers.  We  know  that  ultimately  they 
formed  five  camps,  or  battalions,  four  under  the  standards  of 
Judah,  Reuben,  Ephraim,  and  Dan,  and  the  fifth  consisting  of 
the  Levites  (Num.  i.,  ii.)  This  body  of  men  was  thus  enabled 
to  move  with  precision,  and  afford  an  efficient  protection  to 
the  scattered  families  that  were  advancing  slowly,  encumbered 
as  they  were  with  the  cattle  and  the  moveable  property  that 
were  under  their  charge. 

V.  1  9.  The  hones  of  Joseph.  What  a  light  this  casts  upon 
the  living  thoughts  and  cherished  recollections  of  this  people. 
About  14-0  years  ago,  Joseph  had  bound  their  fathers  by  an 
oath  to  carry  his  bones  with  them  to  the  land  of  pronn'se 
(Gen.  I.  24,  25).  This  oath,  and  the  hopes  inseparably'  con- 
nected with  it  were  often  talked  over  in  the  fainily  gatherings 
of  the  evening,  and  the  memory  of  it  faithfully  handed  down 
from  father  to  son.  This  little  incident  warrants  us  to  imagine 
the  frequent  and  earnest  conferences  which  took  place  in  the 


132  FROM  SUCCOTH  TO  ETHAM, 

homes  and  social  meetings  of  Israel  concerning  the  promises 
made  to  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  the  land  to  which  they 
were  to  return  when  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorite  was  full,  the 
privileges  and  blessings  that  were  in  store  for  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  and  in  that  seed  for  all  the  families  of  the  earth  ; 
the  ancient  and  universal  covenant  with  Noah  which  was  yet 
to  be  fulfilled  by  the  seed  of  Abraham,  for  the  salvation  of  all 
nations.  If  the  dying  request  of  Joseph  was  remembered,  we 
cannot  suppose  that  the  sublime  prospects  held  out  to  their 
own  race  by  the  word  and  oath  of  the  Lord  were  altogether 
forgotten.  We  must  presume  they  were  the  topics  of  fre- 
quent meditation  and  fervent  prayer. 

V.  20-22.  They  set  out  from  SukJcoth.  They  arrived  at  this 
place  on  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  which  was  to  be 
kept  as  a  Sabbath.  They  probably  gave  it  the  name  Sukkoth, 
booths,  tabernacles,  'pavilions  (Gen.  xxxiii.  17),  because  they 
set  up  a  few  booths  and  spent  some  portion  of  the  day  in  holy 
rest,  a  thankful  rest  after  liberty  achieved.  This  is  the  solemn 
beo'innino;  of  that  dwelling  in  booths,  which  was  afterwards 
celebrated  in  the  feast  of  tabernacles  in  the  seventh  month 
(Lev.  xxiii.  39-43).  And  encamped  in  Utham.  On  the 
second  day  they  reached  this  place,  which  lay  probably  in  the 
space  between  the  Bitter  Lakes  and  the  head  of  the  gulf  of 
Suez.  Niebuhr  identifies  it  with  Ajrud.  But  it  was  most 
probably  a  little  further  east.  v.  21,  22.  And  the  Lord  went 
before  them.  Here  we  enter  into  the  region  of  the  supernatural. 
God  now  appears  as  Jehovah,  the  Author  and  Upholder  of 
being,  of  covenant  and  promise.  By  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud. 
A  visible  pillar  of  cloud  or  vapour,  a  conspicuous  object  that 
could  be  seen  not  only  by  the  marshalled  host  but  by  the 
scattered  companies  of  women  and  children,  as  they  fed  their 
flocks  and  followed  afar  ofi"  the  marvellous  signal  of  the 
divine  presence.  A  great  host  marching  through  a  country 
without  roads  or  other  marks  of  civilisation  must  be  provided 
with  some  conspicuous  object  to  serve  as  a  signal  to  the  main 
body  and  to  all  straggling  parties  connected  with  it.  Hence 
the  round  grate  full  of  kindled  fuel,  elevated  on  a  pole,  which 
was  carried  before  caravans  and  armies  in  the  east  (Curtius  v. 
2,  7).  The  ancient  Persians  carried  a  sacred  fire  in  silver 
altars  before  their  armies,  and  other  ancient  nations  observed 


EXODUS  XIII.   20-22. 

a  similar  custom  (Curtius,  iii.  3,  9,  Diod.  Sic,  xvi.  QG). 
the  Lord  now  underttikes  the  miraculous  guidance  of  th« 
chosen  nation,  he  manifests  his  presence  by  a  majestic  pillar 
of  cloud  reaching  from  earth  to  sky.  This  appears  in  the  day 
as  a  dark  cloud  contrasted  by  its  .shade  with  the  clearness  of 
the  sunshine,  and  in  the  night  as  a  bright  fire  to  give  them 
light.  As  the  heat  of  the  day  was  unfavourable  for  active 
exertion,  it  was  customary  to  go  by  night  as  well  by  day  ; 
and  hence  the  pillar  was  present  by  night  and  by  day  to  the 
journeying  people.  In  it  the  Lord  himself  was  present  as  the 
leader  and  protector  of  his  people  (Exod.  xiv.  19,  20  ;  Num. 
xiv.  ]  4  ;  Psa.  cv.  39)  ;  and  from  it  he  speaks  to  Moses  as  the 
representative  and  lawgiver  of  the  people  (Exod.  xix.,  xxxiii. 
9  ;  Num.  xii.  5),  and  on  one  grand  occasion  to  the  assembled 
people  themselves  (xx).  He  who  thus  manifests  his  presence 
to  his  people  is  also  called  the  angel  of  the  God  (xiv.  19). 
The  same  mode  of  manifestation  is  varied  merely  according  to 
the  circumstances,  in  the  lambent  flame  of  the  burnincf  bush. 
It  appears  afterwards  also  in  the  cloud  over  the  mercy  seat, 
between  the  cherubim,  which  in  the  theolocfical  lanfruacre  of 
Israel  is  called  the  shekinah  (^'^U')  or  dwelling  place  of  God. 
The  elementary  forms  of  cloud  and  fire  are  extremely  apposite 
to  the  present  pui-pose  of  guiding  the  host  of  the  Lord  by 
day  and  night.  They  have  at  the  same  time  a  general  fitness 
to  indicate  the  presence  of  the  Lord  without  awakening  any 
material  or  carnal  misconceptions  in  the  mind  of  the  beholder. 
They  do  not  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  nature  or  art  and 
therefore  do  not  suggest  any  debasing  views  of  the  Creator  or 
impute  to  him  any  properties  of  the  creature.  They  are  in 
themselves  preternatural,  and  at  the  same  time  do  not  assume 
any  definite  form  or  resemblance  of  any  creature,  and  therefore 
are  not  in  danger  of  being  taken  for  anything  but  the  sur- 
roundings of  the  present  deit3^  Fire  in  its  various  forms  of 
flame,  light,  heat,  and  electric  fl;ish,  is  a  striking  emblem  of 
the  gi'eat  Spirit,  and  the  smoke  or  vapour  which  accompanies 
it  is  a  manifest  type  of  the  phenomena  which  surround  and 
conceal  the  essence,  while  at  the  same  time  tiiey  indicate  the 
presence  of  the  Mighty  Potent<ite.  The  pillar  that  balances 
itself  in  mid  air,  unsupported  by  the  earth  and  unsjiaken  by 
the  winds  of  heaven,  serves  well  to  mark  the  presence  of  him 


THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA. 

ho  is  independent  of  the  laws  of  nature.  And  lastly  the 
pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  (xiv.  24)  is  manifestly  not  the  Lord, 
nor  a  figure  of  the  Lord,  but  the  visible  and  real  sign  of  his 
actual  presence  among  his  people  for  their  guidance,  protection, 
and  comfort.  The  pillar  of  cloud  did  not  cease.  It  did  not 
vanish  from  their  view  :  but  was  a  constant  and  unerring 
signal  before  or  in  the  sight  of  the  people.  We  have  not  now 
the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud.  But  we  have  the  word  of  God, 
which  is  a  lamp  to  our  feet  and  a  light  to  our  path.  This 
also  is  a  supernatural  revelation  of  the  present  Lord  and  his 
Messiah  by  the  eternal  Spirit,  conveyed  through  the  minds 
and  words  of  holy  men.  This  spiritual  flame  kindled  from 
heaven  and  enshrined  in  the  cloud  of  human  speech,  has  not 
been  lost  or  extinguished,  but  continued  from  generation  to 
generation,  and  is  in  the  way  of  being  diffused  throughout  the 
whole  world,  to  be  the  guide  of  the  nations  to  the  land  of 
promise  till  the  days  of  darkness  disappear.  It  remains  a 
speaking  token  of  the  continual  presence  of  the  God  of  all 
grace,  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  in  his  church. 


CHAP,  XIV.    ESCAPE  OF  ISRAEL.       OVERTHROW  OF  EGYPT. 

2.  riT'nn  ^a  Pi  ha.chiroth,  tTie  mouth  of  the  caves  (pi-achi-rot, 
place  of  reeds  or  sedge,  Jablonski).  Hachiroth  bears  some 
resemblance  to  Ajrud. 

pljp  Migdol,  tower.  The  site  has  not  been  ascertained, 
but  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  Muktala. 

|av  7^3  Baal-tsephon,  place  of  Typhon,  the  fiery  and 
mephitic  blast,  the  drought  that  consumes  all  vegetable  life. 
But  on  the  other  hand  it  may  mean  the  hiding  of  Baal,  and 
thus  form  a  local  name  for  the  west  or  the  point  where  the 
sun  sets. 

7.  ^'h^  third  part;  a  musical  instrument ;  a  third  man,  r^ts- 
rarri;,  or  knight.  The  last  term  is  here  employed  in  a  wide 
sense  to  denote  a  class  of  adjutants  who  were  near  the  king 
for  active  and  trusty  service  in  peace  or  war. 


EXODUS  XIV.  135 

And  the  Lord  spako  unto  Moses  sayinf;;.  2  Speak  unto  tlie  sons 
of  Israel  and  let  them  turn  and  encamp  before  Pi-huhiroth  hotween 
]Migdol  and  the  sea  ;  before  Baal-zephon,  over  against  it  let  them  en- 
camp by  the  sea.  3  And  Pharoh  will  say  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  Tlioy 
are  entangled  in  the  land  ;  the  wilderness  hath  shut  tliem  in.  4  And 
1  will  hanlcn  Pliaroh's  heart,  and  he  shall  pursue  after  them  ;  and  I 
will  be  honoured  upon  Pharoh  and  upon  all  his  army,  and  Mizraim 
shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  And  they  did  so.  5  And  it  was 
told  the  king  of  ^Mizraim  that  the  people  fled  :  and  the  heart  of  Pharoh 
and  of  his  servants  was  turned  against  the  people,  and  they  said, 
What  is  this  we  have  done,  that  we  have  let  Israel  go  from  serving 
us.  G  And  he  made  ready  his  chariot,  and  took  his  people  with  him. 
7  And  he  took  six  hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all  the  chariots  of 
Mizraim,  and  knights  over  all  of  them.  8  And  the  Loud  hardened 
the  heart  of  Pharoh  king  of  ]\rizraim,  and  he  pursued  after  the  sons 
of  Israel :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  were  coming  out  with  a  high  hand. 
9  And  jMizraim  pursued  after  thom,  and  all  the  chariot  horses  of 
Pharoh  and  his  horsemen,  and  his  army  overtook  them  encamping  on 
the  sea  by  Pi-hahiroth  before  Baal-zephon.  10  And  Pharoh  drew 
nigh  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  lifted  up  their  eyes,  and  behold,  Mizraim 
marched  after  them  ;  and  tiie  sons  of  Israel  were  sore  afraid,  aiid  cried 
unto  the  Lord.  1 1  And  they  said  unto  jNIoscs,  Ik'cause  there  were  no 
graves  in  Mizraim  hast  thou  taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wilderness  1 
"Why  hast  thou  dealt  thus  with  us  to  bring  us  out  of  Mizraim  ?  12 
Is  not  this  the  word  that  we  told  thee  in  Jlizraim,  saying,  Let  us  alone 
that  we  may  serve  iSlizraim  1  For  it  had  been  better  for  us  to  serve 
Mizraim  than  to  die  in  the  wilderness.  13  And  Moses  said  unto  the 
])eople.  Fear  ye  not,  sta,nd  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Loud, 
which  he  will  work  for  you  to-day  :  for  whereas  ye  have  seen  Mizraim 
to-day,  ye  shall  see  them  again  no  more  for  ever.  14  The  Lord  shall 
light  for  you,  ami  ye  shall  hold  your  peace.  ^  22. 

15  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Why  criest  thou  unto  me  1  Speak 
unto  the  sons  of  Israel  that  they  set  out.  16  And  thou  lift  up  thy 
rod  and  stretch  out  thy  hand  over  the  sea  and  divide  it :  and  the  sons 
of  Israel  shall  go  into  the  midst  of  the  sea  on  dry  ground.  17  And  I, 
behold  I  will  harden  the  heart  of  Mizraim,  and  they  shall  go  in  after 
them :  and  I  will  be  honoured  upon  Pharoh  and  upon  all  his  army, 
upon  his  chariots  and  upon  his  horsemen.  18.  And  Mizraim  shall 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord  when  I  am  honoured  upon  Pharoh,  upon 
his  chariots,  and  upon  his  horsemen.  19  And  the  angel  of  God,  that 
went  before  the  camp  of  Israel,  removed  and  went  behind  them  : 
and  the  pillar  of  cloud  removed  from  before  them  and  stood  behind 
them.     20  And  it  came  between  the  camp  of  Mizraim  and  the  camp 


136  THE  ENCAMPMENT  AT  PI-HAHIROTH. 

of  Israel,  and  the  cloud  and  darkness  were  to  tJwse,  and  it  lightened 
the  night  to  these  :  and  the  one  drew  not  near  the  other  all  the  night. 
21  And  Moses  stretched  his  hand  over  the  sea  ;  and  the  Lord  drove 
the  sea  by  a  strong  east  wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry 
ground ;  and  the  waters  were  divided.  22  And  the  sons  of  Israel 
went  in  the  midst  of  the  sea  on  the  dry  ground  :  and  the  waters  were 
a  wall  unto  tliem  on  their  right  hand  and  on  their  left.  23  And 
Mizraim  pursued,  and  all  Pharoh's  horses,  his  chariots  and  his  horse- 
men went  after  them  into  the  midst  of  the  sea.  24  And  it  came  to 
pass  in  the  morning  watch  that  the  Lord  looked  into  the  host  of 
Mizraim  in  the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud,  and  troubled  the  host  of 
Mizraim.  25  And  he  took  off  their  chariot  wheels,  and  made  them 
drive  heavily  :  and  Mizraim  said,  Let  me  flee  from  the  face  of  Israel ; 
for  the  Lord  fighteth  for  them  against  Mizraim.  *!  23. 

26  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thy  hand  over  the 
sea,  and  the  waters  shall  return  upon  Mizraim,  upon  his  chariots,  and 
upon  his  horsemen.  27  And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the 
sea,  and  the  sea  returned  when  the  morning  appeared  to  its  force  :  and 
Mizraim  fled  against  it,  and  the  Lord  overthrew  Mizraim  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  28  And  the  waters  returned  and  covered  the  chariots,  and 
the  horsemen,  and  all  the  army  of  Pharoh  that  went  after  them  into 
the  sea  :  there  remained  of  them  not  even  one.  29  And  the  sons  of 
Israel  had  waUced  on  the  dry  ground  in  the  midst  of  the  sea  :  and  the 
waters  were  a  wall  unto  them  on  their  right  hand  and  on  their  left. 
30  And  the  Lord  on  that  day  saved  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  Mizraim  : 
and  Israel  saw  Mizraim  dead  upon  the  seashore.  31  And  Israel  saAv 
the  great  hand  which  the  Lord  put  forth  on  Mizraim,  and  the  people 
feared  -the  Lord  :  and  they  believed  in  the  Lord,  and  in  Moses  his 
servant.  It  ^^• 

The  ten  plagues  were  preceded  by  the  series  of  miraculous 
signs  by  which  the  Lord  attested  the  commission  of  his  ser- 
vant. The  present  chapter  records  the  miraculous  escape  of 
Israel  through  the  E.ed  Sea,  and  the  ovei'throw  of  Mizraim  in 
attempting  the  same  passage  by  the  return  of  the  waters  to 
their  ordinary  course.  The  number  ten  is  expressive  of  com- 
pleteness. The  twelve  interpositions  of  the  Lord  on  behalf 
of  his  people  indicate  a  deliverance  according  to  the  covenant 
of  grace  which  stands  between  them.  The  number  twelve 
plays  an  important  part  in  the  series  of  symbolical  numbers ; 
for  being  composed  of  the  factors  three  and  four,  it  fits  well 


EXODUS  XIV.   1-14.  l.'^y 

with  the  notion  of  a  covenant  between  God  and  tlio  world  of 
mankind  (see  on  Gen.  ii.  3). 

V.  1-1 4-.  The  Lord's  direction  to  Israel  concerning  the  third 
day's  march.  Let  them  turn.  Tlie  word  here  employed  de- 
notes to  retnrn  or  turn  back  from  the  way  hitherto  pur- 
sued. Etham,  we  have  seen,  was  on  the  edge  of  the  wilder- 
Ticss  to  which  it  gave  name  (xiii.  20).  To  go  forward,  was 
to  pass  immediately  into  the  wilderness,  whither  Pharoh,  on 
changing  his  mind,  might  have  pursued  without  hindrance 
the  embarrassed  and  imperfectly  armed  fugitives.  If  the 
Lord  would  not  lead  them  by  the  direct  road  into  the  land  of 
promise,  lest  they  should  be  discouraged  by  the  appearance  of 
war,  much  more  must  he  not  conduct  them  straight  into  the  wil- 
derness, where  they  might  be  readily  overtaken  and  discom- 
fited by  a  well  disciplined  host  with  all  the  accoutrements  of 
war.  Hence  the  order  to  change  the  line  of  march.  En- 
cdinp  before  Pi-hahiroth.  The  place  here  mentioned  has  been 
by  many  identified  with  Aji-ud,  a  fort,  with  a  well  of  bitter 
water,  on  the  pilgrim  route  from  Cairo  to  Mecca,  four  hour's 
noi-thwest  of  Suez.  The  site  is  probable  enough,  and  even 
the  name,  has  a  distant  I'esemblance  to  that  in  the  text.  Be- 
tween Migdol  and  the  sea.  The  place  here  mentioned  is 
named  from  its  nature,  being  a  tower  situated  on  some  emi- 
n(Mice  or  vantage  ground,  between  which  and  the  sea  lay  a  level 
ai-ca  of  about  ten  miles  extent.  In  this  plain  the  marshalled 
bands  of  Israel  are  to  encamp,  having  apparently  Ajrud,  or 
Hahiroth  to  the  north-west,  Migdol  to  the  west,  and  the  sea  to 
the  east.  Before  Baalzephon.  In  the  absence  of  definite  infor- 
mation, and  after  the  local  changes  of  thirty-three  centuries, 
it  appears  impossible  to  determine  the  site  thus  designated. 
It  seems  connected  with  Baal,  or  the  Sun  ;  and  Avas  perhaps 
a  temple  erected  on  a  peak,  or  spur,  of  Jebel  Attaka.  Henco 
it  lay,  not  improbably,  on  the  south  of  the  encamping  ground, 
which  was  then  before  Bsuilzephon  that  was  over  against 
Pi-hahiroth.  Thus  the  Israelites  in  their  new  station  would 
have  the  mountains  on  the  west  and  south,  and  the  sea 
on  the  east.  They  were  thus  brought  into  the  only  |>laco 
M-here  an  effectual  barrier  could  be  put  between  them  and  a 
pursuing  enemy, as  the  event  will  show,  v,  3.  And  Pharoh 
will  nay.  This  very  position  of  Israel,  which  is  eventually  to 


138  THE  PURSUIT  OF  PHAROH. 

relieve  tliem  from  a  harassing  and  overwhelming  foe,  seems 
of  all  others  the  most  certain  to  leave  them  an  easy  prey  to 
the  destroyer.  Tltey  are  entangled  in  the  land.  They  have 
fallen  into  a  snare  from  which  it  is  impossible  to  escape.  It 
is  still  in  my  power  to  detain  them  in  the  land  from  which 
their  leader  has  not  been  able  to  extricate  them.  The  wilder- 
ness has  shut  them  in.  They  have  been  afraid  to  face  the  wil- 
derness, which  does  not  naturally  affoi'd  the  means  of  supporting 
so  vast  a  host  of  men,  in  addition  to  the  concourse  of  flocks  and 
herds,  for  which  it  might  yield  a  scanty  subsistence.  Pharoh  will 
conjecture  that  the  fear  of  perishing  by  famine  has  been  the 
cause  of  their  turning  back.  v.  4.  And  I  will  harden  Pha- 
roh's  heart.  See  on  iv.  21.  A7id  I  will  he  honoured  upon 
Pharoh.  The  Lord  has  been  already  honoured  in  the  eleven 
manifestations  of  his  power  before  Pharoh.  His  glory  will 
be  still  more  signally  displayed  in  the  twelfth.  Shall  hnoiu 
that  I  am.  the  Lord.  See  on  vi.  2.  And  they  did  so.  This 
brief  sentence  sums  up  their  compliance. 

V.  5-9.  The  pursuit  of  Pharoh.  The  third  day  had  now 
ai-rived.  The  panic  which  had  seized  the  Egyptians  had  now 
given  way  to  other  feelings.  Pride,  ambition,  and  revenge 
again  took  possession  of  the  breast  of  Pharoh.  But  the  nar- 
rative reverts  to  the  first  or  second  day  after  the  escape  of 
Israel.  It  was  told  the  Icing  of  Mizraim  that  the  -people 
fled.  This  may  have  taken  place  on  the  second  day  after 
their  departure.  On  the  first  day  they  must  have  been  too 
busy  with  the  mournful  task  of  caring  for  the  dead  (Num. 
xxxiii.  4).  The  heart  of  Pharoh  and  of  his  servants  was  turned 
against  the  people.  The  sight  of  their  own  dead,  and  the 
thought  of  those  making  their  escape  who  had  been  the  occa- 
sion of  this  domestic,  as  well  as  national,  calamity,  aroused 
the  spirit  of  enmity  in  their  hearts.  What  is  this  ive  have 
done  ?  The  fierceness  of  their  disappointment  now  exceeds 
the  bitterness  of  their  grief  v,  6,  7.  'Made  ready  his  cha- 
riot. Orders  for  instant  preparation  were  not  long  in  follow- 
ing this  exasperation  on  the  part  of  Pharoh  and  his  servants, 
and  the  military  part  of  the  nation  would  be  constrained  to  a 
prompt  acquiescence.  On  the  second  or  third  day,  therefore, 
Pharoh  and  his  people  set  out  in    pursuit.      Six    hundred 


EXODUS  XIV.  5-9.  139 

chosen  chariots,  ho\ongh\g  to  the  king  himself;  (ill  the  rhu- 
r'lots  belonging  to  the  state.  Horses  were  imported  into 
Egypt  from  Asia.  They  are  firet  mentioned  on  the  monuments 
in  the  reign  of  Ames  or  Amosis,  the  first  of  the  1  <Sth  dynasty, 
and  are  supposed  to  have  been  introduced  by  the  shejtherJ 
kings.  Herodotus  relates  (II.  108)  tliat  Sesostris  so  inter- 
sected the  country  with  canals,  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  horses 
or  chariots.  And  hnhjlits  over  all  of  them.  The  knights 
here  are  men-at-arms,  who  were  ready  for  any  service  requir- 
ing promptitude  and  fidelity.  They  cannot  now  be  more 
exactly  defined.  v.  8.  And  the  sons  of  Israel  ivere  coming 
out  with  a  high  hand.  The  people  were  animated  with  the 
triumphant  confidence  which  so  great  a  deliverance  by  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  had  inspired,  and  theii-  courage  had  not  yet 
been  damped  by  the  sight  of  the  Egyptians  pursuing,  v.  9. 
Overtook  them.  We  ai-e  now  fairly  arrived  at  the  third  day, 
on  which  the  Israelites  encamped  on  the  sea  by  Pi-hahiroth 
before  BaalZephon.  The  pursuers  had  probably  started  on 
the  second  day,  and  the  deflection  of  the  Israelites  was  en- 
joined in  order  to  place  an  impassable  barrier  between  them 
and  their  implacable  enemy. 

V.  10.  The  expostulation  of  the  j)eople  with  Moses  when 
there  seems  to  be  no  possibility  of  escaping  from  Pharoh. 
And  Pharoh  drew  nigh,  so  as  to  come  within  view.  The 
sons  of  Israel  descry  the  pursuing  enemy,  and  are  sore  afraid. 
They  cried  unto  the  Lord,  doubtless  in  the  extremity  of 
their  despair.  If  they  had  bethought  them  of  the  wonder- 
ful interposition  that  opened  their  way  out  of  Egypt,  or  cast 
their  eyes  on  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  that  had  begun  to 
accompany  them,  they  might  have  retained  their  self-posses- 
sion even  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  But  at  the  sight  of 
their  former  masters  approaching  in  all  the  pomp  of  war, 
their  courage  fails.  In  a  human  point  of  view  their  case  was 
bad  enough.  The  mountains  were  on  the  west  and  south, 
the  sea  on  the  east,  and  the  war  chariots  of  the  well-appointed 
foe  advancing  on  the  north.  There  was  not  the  slightest 
prospect  of  ultimate  escape  for  a  fugitive  people  scantily  fur- 
nished with  the  means  of  defence,  v.  1 1,  1  2.  In  the  agony  of 
distress  they  upbraid  their  leader  with  the  apparent  result  of 
his  ill-advised  rashness,     v,  13,  14.  Moses  is  still  strong  in 


140  THE  PURSUIT  OF  PHAROH. 

faith.  He  has  had  abundant  proofs  of  the  power  and  truth  of 
God,  and  he  has  heard  him  announce  that  he  will  now  be 
honoured  in  Pharoh  and  all  his  army.  He  has  therefore  no 
doubt  of  full  and  timely  deliverance.  He  accordingly  ex- 
horts the  people  to  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord.  Ye  shall  see  them  no  more  for  ever.  This  implies 
that  he  was  not  unaware  of  the  catastrophe  that  was  ap- 
proaching. The  Lord  shall  fight  for  you.  He  only  could 
have  delivered  a  defenceless  people  from  a  fully  equipped  and 
infuriated  enemy ;  and  he  has  taken  his  own  way  of  accom- 
plishing the  task.  He  might  no  doubt  have  allowed  the 
Israelites  to  march  on  into  the  wilderness,  and  in  some  other 
way  arrested  the  hot  pursuit  of  the  vindictive  Pharoh.  But 
it  is  merely  impossible  for  us  to  shew  that  any  other  way 
would  have  equally  well  served  all  the  purposes  of  salvation 
to  the  fugitives,  destruction  to  the  pursuers,  and  admonition 
to  all  the  survivors  of  that  memorable  night  that  was  draw- 
in  sr  nigh. 

V.  15-25.  The  passage  of  Israel  on  dry  ground  through 
the  Red  Sea.  Why  criest  thou  unto  me  ?  This  is  a  reply  it 
may  be  to  the  mere  circumstances  of  the  case,  that  have  a 
voice  that  reaches  the  heart  of  God  (Gen.  iv,  1  0),  but  also 
no  doubt  to  the  earnest  supplications  of  the  people,  and  even 
of  Moses.  It  seems  to  intimate  that  Moses  was  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  despairing  people,  or  that  he  was  himself 
either  unduly  moved  by  the  apparent  danger,  or  in  some 
degree  forgetful  of  what  ought  to  be  done  at  this  momentous 
crisis.  That  they  set  out,  break  up  their  present  encampment. 
It  is  probable  that  the  marching  was  done  for  the  most  part 
in  the  night,  or  at  all  events  in  the  evenings  and  mornings, 
and  that  tlie  people  had  rested  some  time  in  their  present 
station.  Lift  up  thy  rod.  It  is  not  reco'rded  that  Moses 
was  directed  before  this  to  employ  his  rod  for  opening  up 
the  way.  But  the  question  of  the  Lord  seems  to  intimate 
that  he  might  have  been  prepai'ed  for  such  a  command. 
v.  1  7,  1  8.  In  these  words  we  have  a  reiteration  of  the  state- 
ment contained  in  v.  4,  with  considerable  amplification  in 
the  details.  /  will  harden  the  heart  of  Mizraim,  not  of 
Pharoh  only.  Upon  his  horsemen  and  upon  his  chariots. 
This  is  a  specification  of  the  principal  or  characteristic  parts 


EXODUS  XIV.  15-25,  141 

of  Pharoh's  host.     v.  19,  20.  The  issuing  of  tlie  above  com- 
mand to  Moses  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  steps  or  movements 
in  the  narrative  correspondent  with  the  native  grandeur  of  the 
occasion.       These  two  verses  contain    the  second  stej).       The 
ano-el   of  God,    with    the   piUar   of    fire   and  cloud    that  luid 
hitherto  headed  the  march  of  Israel's   manhood,  now  moved 
to  the  rear,  between  the  camps  or  hosts  of  Israel    and   Miz- 
raira.      This    awe-inspiring   column   now  assumed   a  two-fold 
aspect,  presenting  a  dark   and    cloudy   side   to  Egypt,  and  a 
bright   and    cheering    one    to   Israel,   and    remaining    as    a 
tower  of  fire  between  them  all  the  night,      v.  21.  The  third 
step  is  the  dividing  of  the  waters.     Drove  the  sea  by  a  strong 
east  wind.      A  strong   north-east  wind   is   said   to  have  con- 
siderable influence  in  the  present  day  on  the   ebb  of  the  tide 
in  the  Red  Sea,  as  well  as  in  other  places.      Such  a  natural 
occurrence,  however,  only  drives  out  the  whole  body  of  waters 
fiirther  from  the  shore.      It  does  not  "  divide  the  waters,"  and 
so  make  them  "  a  wall "   on  each   side  of  the  dry  ground,  or 
leave  time  or  space  for   the  passage  of  a   large  multitude,  or 
happen  precisely  at  the  moment  when  escape  from  an  advanc- 
ing  foe  makes  it  convenient  for  the  leader  of  the  retreating 
sfpiadrons  to  wave  over   the  waters  his  rod  of  power.      We 
cannot  explain  how  the  sea  became  dry  ground.      We  only 
know   that   the  Lord  commanded  Moses  to  stretch    out  his 
wand,    and   he    did   so,    and    that   the    resulting  change  was 
accompanied   with   a  strong  east  wind.      Whether  there  was 
an  elevation  of  the  bed  of  the  sea  we  are  not  informed,  and 
the  letter  of  the  text  seems  not  in  favour  of  it.     v.  22.  The 
next  step  is  the  passage  of  Israel  with   a  wall  of  waters  on 
each  side.     v.  23-25.     Then  in  hot  haste  the  Egyptians  rusli 
^        in  between  the  watery  walls.     All  their  host  are  soon  in  the 
"        midst  of  the  sea.     In  the  morning  ivatch.     Before  the  cap- 
tivity the   night   was   divided  by   the  Israelites   into  three 
watches,  the  first  watch  (nnoU'N  t'Ni,  Lam.  ii.  1  9),  the  middle 

I  watch  (n3"i3''n  nio'j'S,  Judg.  vii.  19),  and  the  morning  watch. 
It  appears  that  the  Israelites  had  the  space  of  two  watches  at 
least,  or  eight  hours  ibr  effecting  their  passage.  The  Lord 
looked.  An  unwonted  darting  of  the  lightning  flash,  and 
rumbling  of  the  awful  thunder  was  the  probable  accompani- 


142  ISRAEL  ACROSS  THE  RED  SEA. 

after  flash  shot  through  the  sky ;  peal  after  peal  broke  over 
their  heads  ;  and  the  midnight  darkness  prevented  them  from 
diiving  their  chariots  with  safety.  A7id  he  took  off  their 
chariot  wheels.  We  are  not  told  whether  this  was  done  with 
or  without  special  means.  But  we  can  readily  perceive  that 
the  boulders,  hollows,  and  other  inequalities  of  a  sea-bed,  with 
the  mental  confusion  arising  from  the  thunder  would  render 
the  ground,  which  was  passable  for  footmen  with  light,  very 
difficult  and  destructive  to  the  wheels  of  the  Egyptian  cars  in 
the  dark.  The  wonders  of  the  few  preceding  weeks  recur  to 
their  minds,  and  the  conviction  again  breaks  upon  them  with 
irresistible  force,  that  the  Lord  fights  for  Israel. 

It  is  of  course  impossible  to  determine  such  details  of  this 
extraordinary  event  as  are  not  expressly  laid  down  in  the 
narrative.  And  it  is  but  fair  to  the  narrator  to  abstain  from 
any  hypothesis  that  would  not  square  with  its  consistency  or 
credibility.  We  have  already  seen  (xii.  37)  that  the  text  does 
not  assert  or  warrant  the  assumption  that  the  whole  people, 
with  their  flocks  and  herds,  ever  assembled  at  one  point.  The 
women,  children,  and  servants,  accompanied,  perhaps  with  a 
portion  of  the  full-grown  men  for  help  and  protection,  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  their  cattle  and  moveable  property,  and 
we  have  no  doubt,  moved  with  such  speed  as  they  might,  in 
small  parties,  grazing  the  flocks  as  they  went  along  towards 
the  wilderness,  with  which  their  pastoral  life  made  them  per- 
fectly familiar.  Intelligence  of  the  general  movement  would 
be  conveyed  to  these  scattered  parties  in  ways  that  are  habitual 
to  all  wandering  tribes.  The  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  would 
also  be  conspicuous  from  afar,'  and  would  serve  to  make  the 
ramblers  acquainted  with  the  position  and  progress  of  the 
main  body  of  full-gi'own  men.  When,  therefore,  the  order 
was  given  at  Etham  to  turn  back  and  encamp  at  "  the  mouth 
of  the  caves,"  it  referred  only  to  the  five  or  six  hundred 
thousand  men  who  were  marshalled  and  encamped,  and  wei'e 
the  object  of  attack  to  Mizraim,  and  the  ground  of  confidence 
to  their  own  wives  and  children.  Allowing  the  manhood  of 
Israel  to  be  all  present,  and  assigning  a  square  yard  of  stand- 
ing-ground to  each,  we  find  they  can  be  placed  within  the 
square  of  half-amile  ;  and,  consequently,  they  have  scope 
enough  to  deploy  and  encamp  within  the  plain  of  ten  miles 


EXODUS  XIV.  2G-31.  143 

square,  lying  between  the  lulls  and  the  sea.  At  Suez,  which 
is  situated  on  or  by  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Kolzuui  or  K/.iitf/za, 
about  two  miles  from  the  most  northern  point  of  the  shore  ; 
the  gulf  is  not  nioi-e  than  two-thirds  of  a  mile  wide.  But  the 
position  of  Suez  does  not  correspond  with  the  de.scrij)tion  of 
the  place  of  encampment  given  in  the  text.  This  seems  to 
have  been  at  the  base  of  Jebcl  Attakah,  where  the  chainiel  is 
G  or  7  miles  across.  If  the  "  dry  ground  "  were  a  (juarter  of 
a  mile  wide,  the  Israelites  would  form  a  column  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  rank,  and  a  mile  in  file.  Such  a  body  miglit  cross  a 
channel  of  six  miles  in  six  hours,  and  therefore,  notwithstand- 
ing the  roughness  of  a  sea-bottom,  might  easily  decamp,  set 
out,  and  reach  the  opposite  bank  in  eight.  By  the  time  they 
had  reached  the  shore,  the  pursuers,  with  their  chariots  of 
war,  would  be  in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  where  the  depres- 
sion of  the  bottom,  and  the  difficulty  of  progress  were  the 
greatest. 

v.  26-31.  In  three  more  verses,  the  destruction  of  the 
Egyptian  host  is  described.  Stretch  out  thy  hand  with  the 
rod  of  power.  The  ivaters  shall  return  ujKin  Mizraim. 
When  the  power  that  restrained,  for  the  time,  the  laws  of 
nature,  is  withdrawn,  the  waters  return  to  their  wonted  level. 
Three  or  four  fathoms  would  suffice  to  bury  all  the  host  of 
Egypt  in  the  overwhelming  waves.  At  the  ap})earing  of  the 
morning  the  sea  returned  to  its  course.  At  one  fell  sweep  of 
the  mighty  waters,  all  the  chivalry  of  Mizraim  is  laid  for  ever 
low.  A  mild  message,  a  manifest  sign  from  heaven  only  exas- 
perated the  ])ridc  of  Pharoh.  Ten  awful  plagues  failed  to 
subdue  the  obstinacy  of  his  heart.  A  final  judgment,  of  ter- 
rific sublimity,  terminates  his  career  of  presumption,  v.  29-31. 
In  a  style  of  simple  grandeur  the  Hebrew  penman  closes  his 
narrative  with  a  brief  summary  of  Israel's  deliverance.  And 
the  sons  of  Israel  had  ivalked.  This  verse  marks  the  contrast 
between  the  march  of  Mizraim  and  Israel.  The  Lord  on  that 
day  saved  Israel.  The  overwhelming  sea  eflSectually,  and  for 
ever,  arrested  the  pursuit  of  the  Egyptians.  The  Lord  chose 
this  way.  If  the  Israelites  had  been  allowed  to  advance 
without  deviating  from  their  route  into  the  wildernes.s,  he  must 
have  adopted  some  otherway  equally  miraculous  of  stopping  the 
progress  of  their  foes.    Mizraim  dead  upon  the  sea  shore.    The 


14  4  THE  SONG  OF  MOSES. 

east  wind  ceasing  on  the  outstretching  of  Moses'  hand,  and  per- 
haps even  a  western  breeze  springing  up,  the  reaction  of  the  re- 
turning sea  cast  up  the  greater  part  of  the  Egyptian  army,  with 
all  its  chariots  and  accoutrements,  on  the  eastern  shore,  at  the 
feet  of  the  Israelites,  There  is  the  utmost  probability,  there- 
fore, in  the  statement  of  Josephus  (II.,  xvi.  6),  made  before 
recent  controversies  were  mooted,  that  "  on  the  next  day 
Moses  gathered  together  the  weapons  of  the  Egyptians,  which 
were  brought  to  the  camp  of  the  Hebrews  by  the  current  of 
the  sea,  and  the  force  of  the  winds  assisting  it ;  and  he  con- 
jectured that  this  also  happened  by  divine  providence,  that  so 
they  might  not  be  destitute  of  weapons."  The  great  hand 
which  the  Lord  put  forth.  To  make  a  hand  is  one  of  those 
phrases  on  which  old  English  and  ancient  Hebrew  coincide. 
Several  salutary  consequences  of  this  gr^t  wonder  wliich  the 
people  had  seen,  are  here  enumerated.  /The  fear  of  the  Lord, 
that  reverential  and  submissive  feeling  which  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom,  was  called  forth  by  the  awful  grandeur  of  that 
scene  of  judgment  and  mercy  which  th«y  witnessed.  Trust 
in  the  Lord  \^as  awakened  in  their  breasts  by  the  discriminat- 
ing result,  in  which  an  awful  doom  fell  upon  their  adversaries, 
and  a  great  salvation  was  accomplished  for  themselves.  That 
their  confidence  in  Moses  should  now  be  established  was  a 
necessary  consequence  of  trust  in  the  Lord.  There  was  at  the 
same  time  a  lesson  here  for  all  nations  that  were  within  hear- 
ing, to  I'eturn  to  the  Lord,  the  God  of  their  being,  and  submit 
themselves  to  his  rightful  authoi'ity  and  proffered  mercy. 
The  intelligent  reader  will  acknowledge  that  these  verses  form 
a  meet  finale  to  the  preceding  narrative. 


CHAP.  XV. THE  SONG  OF  MOSES. 

2.  n^  Jah,  he  who  has  been,  has  manifested  his  being  by 
illustrious  acts  of  divine  power.  It  seems  to  stand  for  ^[^ 
the  perfect  of  nin,  as  ^^  ^r  ^^n  and  Dp  from  Dip.  This 
name  occurs  for  the  first  time  after  the  signs  and  wonders  of 
the  divine  presence  in  the  land  of  Egypt  ;  as  the  name  Ehjeh 
occurs  before  these  extraordinary  events.  As  the  latter 
denotes  him  who  is  about  to  manifest  his  being  ;  so  the  former 


EXODUS  XV.  14)5 

denotes  him  who  is  about  to  manifest  his  being,  so  the  former 
seems  to  indicate  him  who  has  mar.ifested  his  being.  As 
Jehovah  is  the  self-existent,  the  self-manifesting  Agent,  the 
constant  Causer  of  all  effects;  so  Ehjeh  is  the  prophetic 
Jehovah,  and  Jah  the  historical  Jehovah.  This  liistorical 
shade  of  meaning  is  obvious  in  Isaiah  xii.  2,  where  the  first 
clause  of  v,  2  is  quoted  with  Jah  Jehovah,  instead  of  the 
simple  Jah,  and  in  Isaiah  xxvi.  4,  where  the  same  combina- 
tion occurs.  This  conjunction  of  the  names  also  teaches  us 
that  they  are  not  synonymous,  but  liave  a  perceptible  difference 
of  meaning,  such  as  we  have  indicated .  In  the  prayer  of 
Hezekiah  (Is.  xxxviii.  11)  we  cannot  mistake  the  same  refer- 
ence to  Him  who  has  actually  and  signally  manifested  his 
being  in  the  former  history  of  his  chosen  people,  and  will  yet 
still  \rther  vindicate  his  title  to  this  emphatic  designation. 
This  name  also  occurs  41  times  in  the  Psalms,  which  are  full 
of  historical  allusions.  In  Ps.  cxviii.  14,  the  present  clause  is 
again  repeated,  and  the  name  recurs  six  times  in  all.  The 
doxology  np^^n  is  repeated  twenty-four  times.  The  name  is 
natural  in  such  a  combination,  as  praise  often  turns  upon 
benefits  actually  conferred. 

nnoT  old  form  of  nnoT 

m3K  /  will  glorify  or  celebrate.     Others,  I  will  cause  to 

divell,  make  a  habitation  for. 

20  D'lp  Miriam,  ^Ja^iu,'i,isia^ia,exalted,  contumacious  or  bitter. 
Pl!3  timbrel,  the  Spanish  aduffa  or  difE  r.  strike. 
23   ^'p^  "Marah,  bitterness. 
27  dS^  EHm,  trees. 

1  Tlien  sang  Moses  and  the  sons  of  Israel  this  song  unto  the  Lord 
and  they  spake,  saying  : 

I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  liath  triumphed  gloriou.sly  ; 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hatli  lie  thrown  into  the  sea. 

2  My  strength  and  song  is  Jah,  and  he  became  my  salvation  : 
He  is  my  God,  and  I  will  glorify  him  : 

My  fatlier's  God,  and  I  will  exalt  him. 

3  The  LoHD  is  a  man  of  war,  the  Lord  is  his  name. 

4  Pharoh's  chariots  and  his  army  hath  ho  cast  into  the  sea  : 
And  the  choice  of  his  knights  are  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea. 

5  The  depths  have  covered  them  : 
They  sank  into  the  pools  as  a  stone. 

K 


146  THE    SONG    OF   MOSES. 

6  Thy  right  hand,  0  Lord,  is  glorious  in  power  : 
Thy  right  hand,  0  Lord,  crusheth  the  enemy. 

7  And  in  thy  great  triumph  thou  overthrowest  thy  foes  : 
Thou  sendest  forth  thy  wrath,  it  consumes  them  as  stubble. 

8  And  with  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils,  the  waters  were  heaved  up : 
The  floods  stood  upright  as  a  heap  : 

The  depths  were  condensed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea. 

9  The  enemy  said,  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake, 

I  will  divide  the  spoil  :  my  lust  shall  be  full  of  tliem  ; 
I  will  draw  my  sword,  my  hand  shall  seize  them. 

10  Thou  blewest  with  thy  blast,  the  sea  covered  them  : 
They  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

11  Who  is  like  thee  among  the  gods,  0  LordI 
Who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness, 
Awful  in  praises,  doing  wonders  1 

1 2  Thou  stretchedst  out  thy  right  hand,  the  earth  swallowed  them : 

13  Thou  leddest  in  thy  mercy  the  people  thou  hast  redeemed  : 
Thou  guidedst  them  in  thy  strength  to  thy  holy  habitation. 

14  The  nations  have  heard,  they  tremble  : 
Terror  hath  seized  the  inhabitants  of  Pelasheth. 

15  Then  were  the  dukes  of  Edom  confounded  ; 

The  chiefs  of  Moab,  trembling  took  hold  of  them  : 
All  the  inhabitants  of  Kenaan  melted  away. 

16  Horror  and  trembling  shall  fall  upon  them  ; 
By  thy  great  arm  they  shall  be  still  as  a  stone  : 
Till  thy  people  pass  over,  0  Lord  ; 

Till  the  people  thou  hast  purchased  pass  over. 

17  Thou  shalt  bring  them  and  plant  them  in  the  hill  of  thine 

inheritance ; 
The  place  of  thy  dwelling  thou  hast  made,  0  Lord  : 
The  sanctuary,  0  Lord,  thy  hands  have  established. 

18  The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 

19  For  the  horse  of  Pharoh  went  with  his  chariot  and  his  horsemen 
into  the  sea ;  and  the  Lord  brought  back  upon  them  the  waters  of 
the  sea  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  went  on  the  dry  ground  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  If  25. 

20  And  Miriam  the  prophetess,  the  sister  of  Aaron,  took  the  tim- 
brel in  her  hand  :  and  all  the  women  came  forth  after  her  with  tim- 
brels and  with  dances.  21  And  Miriam  answered  them.  Sing  ye  to 
the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously  ;  the  horse  and  his  rider 
hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea.  §  16. 

22  And  Moses  led  Israel  from  the  Eed  Sea;  and  they  came  out 
into  the  wilderness  of  Shur  :  and  they  went  three  days  in  the  wilder- 


EXODUS  XV,  147 

neaa,  and  found  no  water.  23  And  thoy  came  to  Marah  and  could 
not  drink  tlio  water  out  of  Marah,  for  it  was  bitter  :  therefore  they 
called  the  name  of  it  Marah.  24  And  the  people  murmured  against 
Moses,  saying,  What  shall  we  drink?  2-')  And  ho  cried  unto  the 
Lord,  and  the  Lord  showed  him  a  tree,  and  he  cast  it  into  the  water, 
and  the  water  was  made  sweet  :  there  Ho  set  them  a  statute  and  an 
ordinance,  and  there  lie  pmvcd  them.  2G  And  He  said,  If  thou  wilt 
diligently  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  do  that 
which  is  right  in  His  eyes,  and  give  ear  to  His  commandments,  and 
keep  all  His  statutes,  no  disease,  which  I  put  upon  Mizraim,  will  I 
put  upon  thee,  for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee.  §  1". 

27   And  they  came  to  Elim,  where  were  twelve  springs  of  water 
and  seventy  palm  trees  :  and  they  encamped  there  by  tlie  water. 

A  reverential  fear  and  a  grateful  trust  in  the  Lord,  were 
the  sentiments  that  swelled  in  the  breasts  of  Israel,  as  they 
beheld  the  issue  of  that  a^vful  interposition  by  which  they 
themselves  were  saved  and  their  enemies  destroyed.  These 
emotions  find  expression  in  the  following  song  of  Moses,  the 
highest  merit  of  which  is  its  fitness  for  the  occasion.  It  is  a 
triumphal  ode  in  which  the  joyful  people  celebrate  the 
praises  of  their  divine  deliverer.  They  ask  not  wisely,  who 
demand  a  long  training  or  a  high  culture  as  the  needful  ante- 
cedent of  a  nation's  songs.  The  nation  that  is  capable  of 
achieving  or  estimating  noble  deeds  is  wont  to  contain  within 
itself  some  voice  that  gives  meet  utterance  to  its  loftiest  emo- 
tions in  harmonious  numbers.  The  man,  who  was  able  to 
describe  in  fitting  symmetry  of  style  the  ancient  ways  of  God 
with  man,  was  also  competent  to  express,  in  the  measured 
flow  of  winged  words,  the  devout  thanksgiving  of  Israel  to 
the  God  of  his  salvation.  This  ode  consists  of  eighteen  verses, 
an-anged  in  alternate  stanzas  of  three  and  two  vei-ses.  It 
consequently  begins  and  ends  with  a  stanza  of  three  verses. 
The  long  stanzas  refer  to  the  Lord  and  His  ran.somed  people, 
and  the  short  stanzas  to  their  defeated  or  dismayed  opponents. 
If  read  according  to  this  arrangement  the  import  of  the  ode 
will  come  out  more  finely  and  strikingly.  The  song,  and 
the  circumstances  which  accompanied  its  singing,  occui)y 
twenty-one  verses,  and  the  remaining  seven  verses  of  the 
chapter  record  the  journey  to  and  the  encampment  at  Elim. 
V.  1-18.  The  song  of  Moses.     Tlien  aaiuj.     On  the  very 


148  THE  SONG  OF  MOSES. 

occasion  when  the  mind  of  Moses  was  strung  up  to  the  highest 
pitch  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  this 
ode  composed.  Moses  and  the  sons  of  Israel.  The  primitive 
tribes  of  mankind  seem  to  have  had  a  singular  aptitude  for 
taking  up  the  strain  of  emotion,  and  chanting  it  in  concert 
to  some  simple  measure.  The  harp  and  the  pipe  were  among 
the  earliest  discoveries  of  the  race,  and  these  presuppose  the 
modulated  cadences  of  the  human  voice.  The  untutored  ear 
of  the  enthusiast  arranges  the  coming  words  into  the  artless 
warblings  of  immortal  verse.  The  fine  melody,  laden  with 
the  noble  sentiment,  finds  an  echo  in  other  breasts,  and  the 
sublime  harmony  of  sound  and  feeling  bursts  from  the  assem- 
bled multitude.  Music  is  the  handmaid  of  memory  and  the 
shadow  of  reason.  It  cannot  surprise  us,  then,  to  find  Moses 
and  the  sons  of  Israel  on  the  scene  and  in  the  hour  of  so  great  a 
deliverance  giving  utterance  to  their  common  emotions  in  the 
triumphal  ode.  This  song  unto  the  Lord.  There  wanted 
but  this  addition,  "  unto  the  Lord,"  to  give  its  true  character 
to  the  solemn  anthem  which  now  rose  from  the  many  thou- 
sands of  Israel.  Man  never  rises  to  the  height  of  his  dignity 
until  he  realises  his  relation  to  his  Creator.  The  following 
hymn  is  a  model  and  a  storehouse  of  materials  for  all  future 
songs  of  praise. 

V.  1-5.  These  verses  contain  the  first  period  of  song.  Three 
verses  celebrate  the  praises  of  the  Lord ;  two  dwell  on  the 
downfall  of  his  enemies.  /  will  sing.  Each  patriot  for  him- 
self lifts  up  the  general  song  of  praise.  Unto  the  Lord,  unto 
God,  whose  character  it  is  to  give  existence  to  his  purpose 
and  promise.  For  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously;  he  has 
manifested  the  grandeur  of  his  power  to  save  the  oppressed 
and  destroy  the  oppressor.  The  horse  and  his  rider.  This 
is  a  general  reference  to  the  scene  of  the  preceding  night,  in 
which  the  promise- performing  character  of  God  was  conspicu- 
ously displayed,  v.  2.  Jah,  He  who  has  manifested  his  being 
by  signal  acts  of  power.  My  strength  and  song.  He  has 
proved  himself  able  to  deliver  me,  and,  therefore,  he  is  the 
object  of  my  praise.  Became  my  salvation.  By  actually 
saving  me  from  the  might  of  Egj'^pt,  he  has  earned  his  title  to 
the  name  Yah.  My  God.  I  have,  in  my  own  person, 
experienced  his   goodness,   and    with    appropriating    faith    I 


EXODUS  XV.  1-19.  149 

gratefully  confe.ss  him  to  be  mine.  /  will  glorify  Him.  I 
\vill  proclaim  his  excellency.  My  fathers  God,  the  God  of 
history  and  of  covenant,  who  chose  the  head  of  that  peculiar 
people  to  which  I  belonjjf.  /  loill  exalt  him,  acknowledge  his 
transcendent  majesty,  v.  3.  A  nuin  of  war.  A  mighty 
potentate,  who  encounters  and  vanquishes  all  the  adversaries  of 
good.  The  Lord  is  his  name.  It  is  his  essential  characteristic 
to  be  the  Author  and  sole  Fountain  of  all  existence,  and  the 
Performer  of  his  j)romise.  Never  since  the  beginning  of 
things  did  this  property  of  God  receive  a  more  practical  proof, 
than  in  the  rescue  of  Israel  from  the  bondage  of  Mizraim. 
After  this  triad  of  praise  follow  two  verses  of  song  on  the 
downfall  of  Egypt,  v.  4.  FIiaroh''s  chariots  and  his  army. 
This  ver.se  forms  a  fine  synthetic  parallel,  in  which  the  .second 
member  ascends  above  the  first,  and  so  the  two  constitute  a 
climax.      The  next  vei-se  is  a  briefer  climax  of  a  similar  kind. 

V.  G-10.  In  this  second  wave  of  sonjj,  three  verses  acfain 
are  dedicated  to  the  Lord,  and  two  to  the  adversary.  In  v.  G 
we  have  a  pai-allel,  in  which  the  first  member  dwells  on  the 
cause,  and  the  second  on  the  efitict.  In  v.  7  the  parallel  is  in 
the  sense  rather  than  the  form  of  the  words.  In  v.  8  three 
parallel  members  lend  their  em})hasis  to  the  deed  of  wonder 
which  they  celebrate.  The  former  trij)let  referred  more  to  the 
character  of  God  ;  the  present  gives  more  prominence  to  his 
procedure.  The  two  verses  relating  to  the  adversary  are  full 
of  compressed  energy.  In  v.  9  six  intents  of  the  enem}'-  are 
condensed  into  one  short  utterance,  which  may  be  divided  into 
two  parts,  of  three  sentences  each,  according  to  the  punctua- 
tion, or  into  three  members,  of  two  sentences  ejich,  according 
to  the  printing.  In  the  next  verse  of  two  members,  the 
breath  of  God's  mouth  is  enough,  not  only  to  upset  all 
these  arrogant  puqjoses,  but  to  sink  the  proud  boasters  into 
the  depths  of  the  sea.  In  the  former  couplet  the  outward 
array  of  Pharoh's  lu^st  was  depicted,  in  the  present  the  inward 
vaunting  of  their  soul  is  expressed ;  in  both  the  same 
disastrous  end  is  poetically  recorded. 

V.  11-15.  This  is  the  third  swell  of  this  sacred  anthem,  and 
it  is  a  step  in  advance  of  the  other  two.  Amoiuj  titc  (jods, 
among  the  mighty  ones,  the  imaginary  deities  whom  the 
nations  adore.      Glorious  in  JiAjlliieas.      The  characteristics  of 


150  THE  SONG  OF  MOSES. 

God  here  set  forth  are  those  on  which  nu  has  been  on  this 
occasion  distinguislied  from  all  conceivable  objects  of  compari- 
son. Holiness  or  absolute  purity  of  nature  is  one  of  these 
attributes  of  God,  in  which  he  transcends  all  fallen  man's 
imaginary  gods.  The  gods  of  Greece,  Rome,  India,  and  all  other 
heathens,  partook  of  the  moral  infirmity  of  their  votaries. 
On  the  contrary,  holiness  is  the  glory,  the  conspicuous  excel- 
lence of  the  Divine  essence.  Awful  in  praises.  Praises  are 
here  put  for  the  praiseworthy  deeds  which  come  from  him 
whose  glory  is  holiness.  In  regard  to  the  holiness  of  these 
deeds  he  is  truly  awful,  because  he  taketh  vengeance  for 
transgression  with  as  much  exactness  as  he  giveth  recompense 
for  obedience.  His  judgment  on  the  oppressor  is  as  signal  as 
his  mercy  to  the  oppressed.  Doing  wonders.  His  power  is 
equal  to  his  holiness  and  equity.  The  proud  doer  is  destined 
to  give  way  to  his  will,  or  perish  in  the  attempt  to  resist  it. 
Holiness  and  omnipotence  mark  the  administration  of  God, 
and  hence  he  is  awful  in  praises.  In  these  respects  he  is 
incomparably  above  the  so-called  gods  of  the  heathen.  In 
the  two  following  verses  we  have  the  judicial  and  merciful 
works  proclaimed  that  entitle  him  to  be  described  as  awful 
in  praises,  v.  13.  Tliou  hast  guided  them  in  thy  strength  to 
thy  holy  hahitation.  The  habitation  of  his  holiness  is  most 
simply  understood  in  a  large  sense  of  the  land  wherein  his 
people  are  to  dwell.  He  is  their  God,  and  will  dwell  with 
them  and  consecrate  the  land  of  their  habitation.  Into  this 
land  they  may  be  fairly  said  to  have  entered,  when  they 
crossed  the  Red  Sea,  for  its  bounds  were  to  be  from  the  Red 
Sea  unto  the  sea  of  the  Philistines  (xxiii.  81).  Hence  the 
statement,  "  thou  hast  guided  them,"  in  the  perfect  tense,  is 
literally  true.  But,  according  to  the  Hebrew  idiom,  even  that 
which  is  purposed  and  determined  in  the  mind  and  words  of 
the  speaker  is  indicated  by  the  perfect  form  of  the  verb  (Gen. 
xxiii.  11),  much  more  that  which,  in  its  main  substance,  has 
been  already  effected.  Now  the  chief  part  of  their  giiidance 
into  the  holy  land  was  accomplished  when  they  were  brought 
out  of  the  bondage  and  territory  of  Mizraim.  The  remainder 
was  as  sure  as  if  it  were  already  completed  in  the  promise  and 
power  of  God,  This  third  triplet  celebrates  the  triumph  of 
Jehovah,      v.    14,    15.     The    Egyptian    host  is    at  rest  for 


EXODUS  XV.    1-19.  151 

ever  in  the  silence  of  death.  The  ])oet's  eye,  therefore,  turns 
to  the  surviving  nations  who  might  throw  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  tlie  redeemed  ]K'0])le.  The  nations  in  general  tremble. 
In  pjirticular,  the  Philistines,  who  bordered  on  the  one 
entrance  into  the  land  of  holiness,  and  the  Edomites 
and  Woabites  who  lay  on  the  other  route  by  which 
it  mi<rht  be  entered,  were  filled  with  alarm.  The  inhabitants 
of  Kena<an,  who  were  doomed  to  extirpation  because  their 
iniquity  was  now  full,  melted  away  at  the  reports  of  Mizraim's 
overthrow.  All  this  is  expressed  in  the  high-strung  language 
of  poetic  realism,  because  that  is  conceived  to  have  a  hold 
on  existence  which  is  the  inevitable  and  immediate  conse- 
quence of  things  that  have  already  taken  place. 

v.  lG-18.  The  bard  of  emancipated  Israel  how  turns  to  the 
future.  The  farther  doings  of  the  Lord  for  his  people  are 
sketched  in  a  few  master  touches.  First,  a  sudden  and  over- 
whelming trepidation  unmans  the  adversary,  and  the  people 
of  the  Lord  are  unopposed  in  their  progress.  This  was  the 
natural  result  of  the  Divine  interposition,  and  would  have 
been  the  actual  and  uniform  consequence,  but  for  the  unbelief 
and  disobedience  of  the  chosen  people,  v.  17.  Tliou  shalt 
hinng  them  and  plant  them.  This  is  a  figure  taken  from  a 
tree  planted  on  a  hill.  The  tree  is  the  holy  people  (Psal.  i.  3) ; 
the  hill  is  the  land  of  promise,  which  was  not  a  river  valley, 
like  Egypt,  but  a  high  land  lying  between  the  Jordan 
and  the  Mediterranean.  To  the  hill  of  Zion  there  may 
be  a  distant  allusion.  The  jilace  for  thy  dwelling,  is  the 
fixed  abode  where  he  will  constantly  dwell.  The  sanctuary. 
In  these  three  parallels  we  liave  the  climax  of  country,  home, 
and  altar,  v.  1 8.  The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  In 
this  closing  verse  the  Lord  is  announced  as  perpetual  king. 
The  introduction  of  three  dispensations  relating  to  man  is 
clearly  marked  out  in  Scripture,  First,  The  creation  begins 
an  economy,  in  which  man  forms  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  until  the  fall  bejjins  the  kinmlom  of  Satan  on  the  earth. 
Then  the  Exodus  commences  a  dispensation  in  which  the  king- 
dom of  God  begins  to  stand  out  in  visible  opposition  to  that  of 
Satan,  in  the  narrow  sphere  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  the 
land  of  Kenaan.  The  kingdom  thus  rising  into  visibility  never 
again  disappears  from  the  earth.     Lastly,  the  birth,  death,  and 


152  THE  REFRAIN  OF  MIRIAM. 

resurrection  of  Christ  ushers  in  a  dispensation,  in  which  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  destined  to  penetrate  more  and  more  into 
the  usurped  kingdom  of  Satan,  until  the  latter  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed, and  the  former  be  universally  restored  on  the  earth. 
There  is  a  hopeful  emphasis  in  the  closing  sentence  of  this  sub- 
lime anthem. 

V,  19.  This  verse  is  a  recapitulation  of  the  auspicious  occa- 
sion on  which  the  above  hymn  was  composed. 

V.  20,  21.  The  refrain  of  Miriam  and. the  daughters  of 
Israel.  It  is  most  probable,  as  we  have  already  seen,  that  the 
women  and  children  were  principally  with  the  flocks  and  herds, 
and  not  with  the  marshalled  host  that  crossed  the  Red  Sea.  But 
a  joyful  reunion  of  as  many  of  them  as  could  leave  domestic 
cares  would  be  sure  to  take  place  on  this  joyful  occasion.  Mi- 
riam, and  a  few  of  the  females  of  higher  rank,  may  have  even 
accompanied  the  host.  Miriam  is  here  described  as  the  pro- 
phetess, as  one  who  was  well  known  to  possess  the  gift  of 
speaking  to  God  for  men,  or  to  men  for  God,  in  prose  or  in 
song  (Gen.  xx.  7  ;  Num.  xii.  2).  She  is  called  the  sister  of 
Aaron,  as  he  and  she  were  older  than  Moses,  and  yet  at  the 
same  time  inferior  to  him  in  point  of  official  rank.  Took  the 
timbrel,  the  well-known  instrument  for  the  female  and  the 
dancer.  It  was  composed  of  a  hoop,  or  rim  covered  with  skin 
like  a  drum-head.  It  was  sometimes  provided  with  little 
brass  rings  or  bells  fastened  round  the  rim,  which  added  a 
jingle  to  its  drum-like  sound.  And  with  dances,  Miriam 
led  the  way  with  the  timbrel  in  the  dance,  and  all  the  women 
followed.  The  females  danced  in  a  separate  choir,  and  the 
males  also  by  themselves  (2  Sam.  vi.  1 4).  The  dance  is  here 
used  for  the  expression  of  a  sacred  joy.  The  song  articulates, 
the  dance  gesticulates  the  emotions  of  joy  and  congratulation. 
And  Miria'ni  ansivered  them.  She  led  the  refrain,  as  Moses 
seems  tu  have  led  the  sons;  itself  The  song  beeins  thus,  "  I 
will  sing  unto  the  Lord  ;"  the  refrain  thus,  "  Sing  je  to  the 
Lord."  This  may  have  been  chanted  after  every  period  of  five 
verses,  and  at  the  end  of  the  ode,  as  a  completion  of  the  last 
period.  This  is  much  more  probable  than  the  introduction  of 
the  refrain  at  the  end  of  every  verse,  especially  as  the  verses 
are  of  very  unequal  length. 

V.  22-26.  The  journey  from  the   Red   Sea  to  Elim.     The 


EXODUS  XV.  22-2G.  If) 3 

wildernrss  of  Shur  (Gen.  xvi.  7).  Part  of  tliis  wilderness 
takes  its  name  from  Etham  which  was  on  its  border  (xiii.  20, 
Num.  xxxiii.  8).  They  went  three  days.  If  tliey  paused  at 
Sukkoth  on  tlie  first  day  after  the  passover  night,  encamped 
at  Ethani  on  the  second,  an<l  at  Hahiroth  on  the  third,  crossed 
the  Red  Sea  on  the  night  of  that  day,  and  then  advanced 
three  days  into  the  wihlerness,  they  would  arrive  at  Marah 
on  the  seventh  day  of  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread.  In 
the  interval  of  two  miles  between  the  shore  and  Ayun  Musa, 
(the  wells  of  Moses),  they  celebrated  their  deliverance  by 
chanting  the  .song  of  Mo.ses.  The  Ayun  Musa  are  seven  in 
number,  according  to  Robinson,  with  many  lesser  springs 
around.  After  having  refreshed  themselves  here  they  may 
have  proceeded  some  way  towards  Marah,  and  so  performed 
their  firet  day's  journey.  The  distance  from  Ayun  Musa  to 
Ain  Hawarah,  which  is  usually  identified  with  Marah,  is 
IGi  hours,  or  about  40  miles.  The  route  lies  between  the 
Gulf  of  Suez,  and  the  range  of  Jebel  er  Rahah.  Ain  Hawarah 
is  a  fountain  of  bitter  water  about  three  feet  deep,  contained 
in  a  basin  of  ten  feet  in  diameter,  and  six  feet  in  depth. 
The  palm  and  the  thorny  Ghurkud  are  found  around  it.  It 
still  merits  the  title  of  Marah,  as  its  waters  are  bitter. 
V.  24.  And  the  'people  murmured  againd  Moses.  We  now 
hear  the  first  murmur  arising  from  the  redeemed  people. 
The  marshalled  host  advancing  as  a  regular  body  felt  the 
want  of  water  much  more  severely  than  if  they  htul  been 
scattered  over  the  country  like  their  wives  and  children. 
They  had  been  wont  to  enjoy  ample  supplies  of  water  in 
Egypt,  and  to  search  not  in  vain  for  it  even  in  the  wilder- 
ness, when  divided  into  families  and  small  parties.  For  the 
wilderness  was  not  unfamiliar  to  them  as  nomads  or  rovinjj 
shepherds,  though  the  present  route  may  not  have  been 
trodden  by  many  of  them  before.  The  wilderness,  it  is  to 
be  remembered,  is  land  affording  a  scanty  pasture,  but  not 
fit  for  tillage  (Gen.  xxi.  1 4).  With  the  exception  of  the 
Debbet  er  Ranileh  (plain  of  sand)  and  a  narrow  strip  along 
the  Mediterranean,  the  wilderness  of  the  peninsula  is  not  a 
sandy  but  a  gravelly  soil,  producing  a  sparse  vegetivtion 
wherever  there  is  any  moisture.  But  the  assembled  multi- 
tude are  grievously  distressed  by  the  want  of  water,  and  do 


154  THE  JOURNEY  TO  ELI. 

not  refrain  from  expressing  their  dissatisfaction.  Moses  how- 
ever, having  travelled  this  way  before,  must  have  been  aware 
that  water  was  near.  Accordingly,  on  the  evening  of  the 
sixth  day,  or  early  on  the  seventh,  they  arrived  at  Marah. 
A  new  trial  of  their  patience  is  presented  by  the  bitterness 
of  the  water,  which  was  the  more  disagreeable  to  those  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  the  sweet  waters  of  the  Nile.  To 
obviate  this  inconvenience  the  Lord  pointed  out  a  wood  to 
Moses  which  sweetened  the  waters.  Burckhardt  suggests 
that  the  berries  of  the  Ghurkud  might  have  produced  this 
effect.  But  this  fruit  ripens  in  June,  two  months  later  than 
the  time  when  the  people  of  Israel  arrived  at  Marah  ;  and 
this  was  a  tree  or  species  of  wood,  not  a  berry.  The  effect 
was  probably  not  natural  but  miraculous,  and  the  kind  of 
wood  is  unknown.  There  he  made  them  a  statute  and  an 
ordinance.  If  this  was  on  the  seventh  day  of  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread,  and  therefore  a  Sabbath  of  holy  convoca- 
tion, in  which,  however,  extraordinary  works  of  necessity  and 
mercy  had  to  be  done,  we  can  see  how  opportune  was 
the  time  for  making  a  statute  and  an  ordinance.  The  slay- 
ing of  the  passover  was  a  solemn  entering  into  covenant  with 
the  Lord,  and  the  last  day  of  the  feast  was  the  completion  of 
this  act.  They  had  now  also  gone  three  days  into  the  wilder- 
ness, and  therefore  arrived  at  the  place  and  time  for  per- 
forming the  proposed  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord  their  God,  as 
he  should  command  them  (viii.  27).  A  statute  (pn)  is  a 
form  of  words  engraven  on  a  hard  substance,  such  as  stone, 
and  therefore  a  fixed  edict  or  decree,  binding  the  people  to 
follow  the  Lord.  An  ordinance  (p^^^l^)  is  a  judicial  sentence 
or  authoritative  injunction,  affirming  the  duty  of  the  people, 
and  accompanied  with  an  intimation  of  the  good  and  evil 
consequences  of  obedience  and  disobedience.  The  solemn 
consent  of  the  people  to  this  ordinance  was  given  on  this 
appropriate  occasion.  A  similar  ti'ansaction  is  recorded 
when  Joshua  renewed  the  covenant  with  the  people  (Jos. 
xxiv.  25).  The  substance  of  the  statute  and  the  ordinance 
is  evidently  contained  in  the  following  verse.  The  general 
obligation  only  to  obey  the  Lord  in  all  things  is.here  tendered 
and  accepted.  The  special  terms  of  the  Divine  law  are  to  be 
communicated   on  a  future  occasion.     And  there  he  proved 


EXODUS  XV.   27.  1  ')5 

ihcm.  Tlic  -want  of  water  for  three  days,  .and  tlic  bitterness 
of  the  water  when  at  lengtli  fonnd,  were  the  touchstone  to 
test  their  hearts,  to  discover  what  qualities  or  dispositions 
were  witliin,  to  try  whether  tliey  had  the  bei;inning  of  faith 
and  patience,  v.  2G.  If  tlioii,  ivilt  dUigeiiilij  hcavlxn.  Hero 
the  condition  of  perfect  obedience  to  the  occasional,  as  well  as 
to  the  stated  connnands  of  God,  is  explicitly  laid  down.  No 
disease.  The  reward  of  obedience  is  expressly  announced, 
and  the  consequence  of  disobedience  not  obscurely  intimated. 
The  very  blessings  of  tlie  Egyptians  were  turned  into  curses 
on  account  of  their  disobedience.  The  sweet  waters  of  the 
Nile  were  changed  into  blood.  On  the  other  hand  the  dis- 
advantages the  Israelites  might  meet  with  on  the  way  would 
be  converted  into  blessings  if  they  were  obedient  to  the 
voice  of  the  Lord.  The  bitter  waters  of  Marah  are  made 
sweet.  This  single  instance  indicated  the  rule  of  all  God's 
future  dealings,  and  so  furnished  the  test  by  which  their 
character  was  to  be  proved.  /  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee. 
He  had  preserved  them  from  the  diseases  of  Egypt,  the  death 
of  the  first-born,  and  the  destruction  which  overtook  the 
Egyptians.  So  would  he  be  their  deliverer  in  every  trouble 
which  should  befal  them.  Thus  Marah  with  its  bitter  waters 
sweetened  even  the  commencement  of  that  testing  process 
which  this  people  had  to  undergo  in  the  wilderness. 

V.  27.  Elim.  This  is  identified  with  Wady  Ghurundel, 
which  is  two  hours  or  a  few  miles  from  Marah.  The  twelve 
springs  and  seventy  palms  made  it  a  most  delightful  halting 
place  for  the  thirsting  host.  "  Wady  Ghurundel  is  fringed  with 
trees  and  shrubs,  forming  a  charming  oasis.  Here  are  the 
stunted  palms  with  their  hairy  trunks  and  dishevelled  branches. 
Here  too  are  the  featheiy  tamarisks,  with  gnarled  boughs, 
and  here  is  the  acacia  with  its  gray  foliage  and  bright  blossoms, 
tangled  by  its  desert  growth  into  a  thicket,"  (Porter  in 
Murray's  Hand-book  of  Syria  and  Palestine).  This  refreshing 
valley  is  but  a  step  from  Marah,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the 
first  resting  place  of  the  sons  of  Israel  after  their  departure 
from  Egypt.  Here,  accordingly,  they  remained  for  the  space 
of  three  weeks  (xvi.  1),  during  wdiich  they  had  leisure  to 
accommodate  themselves  in  some  measure  to  desert  life,  to  the 
habits  of  freedom  and  independence,  and  above  all  to  the  solem- 


156  QUAILS  AND  MANNA. 

nities  of  a  people  reconciled  to  God  and  resolved  to  walk  in 
newness  of  life.  At  this  point,  therefore,  the  chapter  appro- 
priately closes. 


X.    JOURNEY  FROM  ELIM  TO  SINAI. EXOD.  XVI.-XVIII. 

CHAP.  XVI.    QUAILS  AND  MANNA. 

1.  rp  I.  Sin,  clay,  Ges.  Pelusium  or  Tine  (mudtown  ?). 
II.  Sin,  hush,  thorn.  The  wilderness  described  in  the  present 
passage. 

''T^,  Sinai,  thorny,  scraggy,  (Meyer),  the  mountain  on  which 
the  law  was  proclaimed.  This  name  is  apparently  connected 
with  the  preceding.  It  is  probable  that  both  belong  to  the 
same  root  with  n^p  a  species  of  thorn  (iii.  2). 

13.  1?^  quail,  6§Tuyofj.?ir^a  (Sept.)  mother  of  quails,  rail  or 
quail  king.  Not  locusts,  as  Patrick  supposes,  since  they  are 
nowhere  else  called  by  this  name  :  nor  the  Kata  of  the  Ara- 
bians, a  kind  of  partridge  which  abounds  in  Arabia  and 
Syria. 

1 4.  ^P^,  peel,  (ges.),  run,  cast,  freeze,  (Meyer). 

15.  tp  manna,  r.  p  divide,  separate.  Hence  it  means  the 
secretion,  or  sweet  gum  exuding  in  shining  drops  on  the  twigs 
and  branches  of  the  turfa  or  tamarisk  when  punctured,  it  is 
supposed,  by  the  coccus  manniparus.  This  is  now  called 
inan  assama,  the  gift  of  heaven,  by  the  Arabs,  according  to 
the  common  habit  of  ascribing  a  later  and  more  fainiliar  mean- 
ing  to  the  word  than  that  which  it  originally  possessed.  It 
falls  on  the  leaves,  twigs,  or  stones  beneath,  and  has  to  be 
gathered  before  it  is  melted  by  the  sun.  It  is  then  cleansed, 
boiled,  strained,  and  put  into  leathern  bottles,  and  keeps  for 
a  long  time.  This  manna  is  not  peculiar  to  Arabia  nor  to 
the  tamarisk,  is  produced  in  small  quantities  in  wet  seasons 
and  nearly  disappears  in  dry  ones,  is  gathered  in  the  month 
of  June,  and  is  used  only  as  a  condiment  with  the  unleavened 
bread  or  pottage  of  the  country. 

2  3.  pniiK^  7'est,  cessation  from  labour.  The  word  is  found 
only  in.   Exod.  and  Lev.,   and   shows  no   change    of  vowel. 


EXODUS  XVI.  157 

Here  only  is  it  before  rirj'.  It  is  also  without  the  article, 
simjily  because  it  is  cither  the  predicate  or  in  the  construct 
state.  Hence  tliere  is  no  ground  for  the  supposition  tliat  its 
indefinite  form  marks  the  introduction  of  the  Sabbath  as  a  new- 
thing  hitherto  unknown. 

31.    *!?,    xisiov    Sej)t.    coriander.      'AiyuTrioi    lyjw,    Aip^ol    yoib, 

quotes  Celsius  from  the  annotator  of  Dioscorides  when  speak- 
ing of  this  plant.  Yoih  is  evidently  the  Heb.  '^3.  Corian- 
drum  Sativum  is  an  umbelliferous  plant,  the  leaves  of  which 
are  used  in  soups  and  salads.  Its  seeds  are  globular, 
about  the  size  of  a  pepper-corn,  and  of  a  greyish  colour.  Tliey 
form  an  agreeable  spice,  employed  by  confectioners,  druggists, 
and  distillers.  This  plant  is  common  in  Egypt  and  other 
parts  of  Africa,  Arabia,  Persia,  India,  and  the  south  of  Europe, 
and  is  cultivated  in  some  parts  of  England. 

3C.  "i^i?  Sheaf  of  corn.  In  the  present  chapter  alone, 
Omer,  a  dish  or  other  vessel  containing  probably  the  grain 
obtained  from  the  sheaf,  and,  therefore,  always  nearly  of  the 
same  size  and  so  fitted  to  be  a  rough  measure.  It  is  to  be 
distinguished  from  the  homer  i^n  which  contained  1 0  ephahs 
and  therefore  100  omers. 


And  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel  set  out  from  Elira  and 
came  unto  the  -wilderness  of  Sin,  ■which  is  between  Elim  and  Sinai,  on 
the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  of  their  departure  out  of  the 
land  of  Mizraim.  2  And  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel  mur- 
mured against  Moses  and  Aaron  in  tlie  wilderness.  3  And  the  sons 
of  Israol  said  unto  them,  Would  that  we  had  died  Ijy  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  when  we  sat  by  the  flesh  pot,  when 
we  ate  bread  to  the  full  !  For  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this 
wilderness  to  slay  all  this  congregation  with  liunger.  §  18- 

4  Then  said  the  Lord  unto  Moses,  Behold,  I  will  rain  for  you 
bread  from  heaven,  and  the  people  shall  go  out  and  gather  a  certain 
rate  every  day,  that  I  may  prove  them  whether  they  will  walk  in  my 
law  or  not.  5  And  it  shall  be  on  the  sixth  day  that  they  shall  pre- 
pare that  which  they  bring  in,  and  it  shall  be  twice  as  much  as  they 
gather  daily.  And  Moses  and  Aaron  said  unto  all  the  sons  of  Israel, 
At  even,  then  shall  ye  know  that  the  Loud  hath  brought  you  out  of 
the  land  of  Mizraim.  7  And  in  the  morning,  then  ye  shall  see  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  since    he  heareth   your  murmurings  against  the 


158  QUAILS  AND  MANNA. 

Lord  :  and  what  are  we  that  ye  murmur  against  us?  8  And  Moses 
said,  When  the  Lord  giveth  you  in  the  evening  flesh  to  eat,  and  hread 
ill  the  morning  to  the  full,  since  the  Lord  heareth  your  murniurings 
which  ye  murmur  against  him,  what  then  are  we  1  Your  murmurings 
are  not  against  us  but  against  the  Lord.  9  And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron, 
Say  unto  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  Draw  near  before  the 
Lord,  for  he  hath  heard  your  murmurings.  10  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  Aaron  spake  unto  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  that 
they  turned  toward  the  wilderness  ;  and  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
appeared  in  the  cloud.  If  26. 

11  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying,  12  1  have  heard  the 
murmurings  of  the  sons  of  Israel :  speak  unto  them,  saying,  Between 
the  evenings  ye  shall  eat  flesh,  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled 
with  bread  :  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

13  And  it  came  to  pass  at  even,  that  quails  came  up  and  covered  the 
camp  :  and  in  the  morning  the  dew  lay  round  about  the  camp.  14 
And  the  dew  that  lay  went  up  :  and  behold  upon  the  face  of  the  wil- 
derness, something  fine  and  crisp,  fine  as  the  rime  on  the  ground.  15 
And  the  sons  of  Israel  saw  it,  and  said  one  to  another,  It  is  manna. 
For  they  wist  not  what  it  was.  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  It  is 
the  bread  which  the  Lord  hath  given  you  to  eat.  16  This  the  thing 
which  the  Lord  hath  commanded ;  Gather  of  it  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  eating,  an  omer  to  the  poll  for  the  number  of  your 
persons ;  take  ye  every  man  for  them  that  are  in  his  tent.  1 7  And 
the  sons  of  Israel  did  so,  and  they  gathered,  some  more,  some  less.  18 
And  they  meted  it  with  the  omer,  and  he  that  gathered  much  had 
nothing  over,  and  he  that  gathered  little  had  no  lack  :  they  gathered 
every  man  according  to  his  eating.  19  And  Moses  said  unto  them, 
Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till  the  morning.  20  And  they  hearkened  not 
unto  Moses ;  and  some  left  of  it  till  the  morning,  and  it  bred  worms 
and  stank  :  and  Moses  was  wroth  with  them.  21  And  they  gathered 
it  every  morning,  every  man  according  to  his  eating  :  and  when  the 
sun  waxed  hot  it  melted. 

22  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  sixth  day,  that  they  gathered  twice 
as  much  bread,  two  omers  for  each  one,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the 
assembly  came  and  told  Moses.  23  And  he  said  unto  them.  This  is 
that  which  the  Lord  hath  spoken.  To-morrow  is  the  rest  of  the  holy 
Sabbath  unto  the  Lord  :  bake  that  which  ye  will  bake,  and  seethe 
that  which  ye  will  seethe,  and  all  that  remaineth  over  lay  up  for  you 
to  be  kept  until  the  morning.  24  And  they  laid  it  up  till  the  morn- 
ing, as  Moses  bade  :  and  it  did  not  stink,  neither  was  there  any  worm 
therein.  25  And  Moses  said.  Eat  it  to-day,  for  to-day  is  the  Sabbath 
unto  the  Lord  :  to-day  ye  shall  not  find  it  in  the  field.     26  Six  days 


EXODUS  XVT.  159 

yo  sliall  gather  it  ;  and  on  the  seventh  day,  the  Sahhath,  on  it  tlmro 
shall  be  none.  27.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  s(!ventli  day,  that 
some  of  the  people  went  out  to  gather,  and  they  found  none.  §  19 

28  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  refuse  ye  to  keep  my 
conmiandmcnts  anil  my  laws  ?  29  See  ye  that  the  Louu  hath  given 
you  the  Sahhath  ;  therefore  he  giveth  you  on  the  sixth  day  the  bread 
of  two  days  :  abide  ye  every  man  in  his  place  ;  let  no  man  come  out 
of  his  place  on  the  seventh  day.  30  And  the  people  rested  on  the 
seventh  day.  31  And  the  liouse  of  Israel  called  the  name  thereof 
manna  :  and  it  was  like  coriander  seed,  white  ;  and  the  taste  of  it  was 
like  a  cake  made  with  honey. 

32  And  Moses  said,  This  is  the  thing  Avhich  the  Lord  hath  com- 
manded, P'ill  an  omer  of  it  to  bo  kept  for  your  generations,  tliat  they 
may  see  the  bread  wherewith  I  fed  you  in  the  wilderness,  when  I 
brought  you  forth  from  the  land  of  Mizraini.  33  And  Moses  said 
unto  Aaron,  Take  a  pot  and  put  therein  an  omer  full  of  manna,  and 
lay  it  up  before  the  Lord  to  bo  kept  for  your  generations.  34  As 
the  Lord  commandiHl  Moses,  so  Aaron  laid  it  up  beforo  the  testi- 
mony to  be  kept.  35  And  the  sons  of  Israel  ate  manna  forty  years, 
until  they  came  to  a  land  inhabited  :  they  ate  manna  iintil  they  came 
to  the  border  of  the  land  of  Kenaan.  3G  And  the  omer  was  the  tenth 
part  of  the  ephah.  , 

The  subsection  containing  this  chapter  and  the  following 
two  records  the  important  particulars  of  the  journey  from 
Elim  to  Sinai.  In  Numbers  xxxiii.  10-15  arc  enumerated 
five  stations  between  these  points,  of  which  only  the  second, 
the  wilderness  of  Sin,  and  the  last,  Rephidim,  are  mentioned 
here.  The  present  object  of  the  historian  is  to  notice  the  pro- 
vision, protection,  and  government  of  the  people  in  their 
wandeiings.  They  were  provided  with  quails,  manna  and 
water  from  the  rock  ;  they  were  protected  from  the  enemy  in 
the  victory  they  gained  over  Amalek  ;  and  they  were  governed 
by  Moses  with  the  advice  of  Jethro,  his  father-in-law.  The 
mixture  of  evil  with  good  which  is  displayed  in  tlie  conduct 
of  the  people,  is  what  might  be  expected  from  a  tribe  of  fidlen 
men,  long  corrupted  by  the  habits  of  bondage,  under  a  nation 
ignorant  of  the  God,  or  the  law  of  trutli,  when  they  are  but 
recently  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
freedom  and  holiness. 

V.  1-3.  The  second  ground  of  complaint  among  the  multi- 


160  QUAILS  AND  MANNA. 

tude  is  want  of  food.  Any  supplies  they  may  have  brought 
from  Egypt  were  now  exhausted.  All  the  assembly  of  the 
sons  of  Israel.  The  difficulties  of  procuring  water  and  food 
were  enormously  increased  to  a  collected  host.  The  wives  and 
children  who  were  scattered  over  the  country  as  the  Bedawin 
or  wanderers  of  the  desert,  were  able  to  make  some  shift  for 
themselves,  from  the  smallnessof  their  parties  and  their  acquaint- 
ance with  a  desert  life.  But  the  marshalled  multitude  in  a 
desei't,  without  a  well-arranged  commissariat,  could  only  sub- 
sist by  supernatural  means.  And  came  into  the  tvilder- 
ness  of  Sin.  From  Num.  xxx.  1 0,  it  appears  that  when  they 
left  Elim  their  first  encampment  was  by  the  Red  Sea.  Pro- 
ceeding at  present  from  Wady  Ghurundel,  in  two  and  a  quar- 
ter hours,  we  come  upon  Wady  Useit,  or  Waseit,  in  which 
are  a  few  brackish  springs,  with  groves  of  palms  and  tama- 
risks. In  four  hours  more  we  arrive  at  the  point  where  W. 
Shubeikeh  and  W.  Humr  unite  to  form  W.  Taiyibeh.  Thence 
to  the  plain  on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea  is  a  distance  of  two 
hours.  This  is  probably  the  place  of  encampment  by  the  Red 
Sea,  where  the  people  might  have  a  supply  of  water,  and  ob- 
tain a  last  view  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  at  the  sametime 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  mountain  peaks  towards  which  they 
were  journeying.  Over  the  headland  of  Zelima,  two  hours 
farther,  lies  the  plain  Murkhah,  where  there  is  also  a  fountain. 
We  may  suppose  the  main  body  of  the  600,000  sons  of  Israel- 
ites spreading  themselves  over  all  the  interval  between  Taiyi- 
beh and  Murkhah  by  the  Red  Sea.  And  went  unto  the  wilder- 
ness of  Sin.  The  next  station  mentioned  in  Num.  xxxiii.  11, 
is  in  the  wilderness  of  Sin.  This  region  is  said  to  be  between 
Elim  and  Sinai.  It  is  more  narrowly  limited  by  the  station 
at  the  sea  and  Rephidim  (xvii.  1).  And  though  the  station 
at  the  entrance  into  this  wildei-ness  is  the  only  one  mentioned 
here,  yet  we  know  from  Num.  xxxiii.  12-14,  that  two  other 
stations,  Dophkah  and  Alush  were  occupied  in  it.  Among  the 
three  stations  in  this  extensive  range  of  desert  at  least  a  week 
seems  to  have  been  spent.  The  tradition  that  they  arrived  here 
on  a  Sabbath  coincides  well  with  the  details  of  the  narrative. 
Yet  the  site  of  the  present  station  is  by  no  means  determined. 
From  the  Red  Sea  at  Taiyibeh  three  routes  to  Sinai  are  pos- 
sible: one  southern,  by  the  barren  plain  el-Kaa,  lying  along 


EXODUS,  XV.    1.  IGl 

the  gulf  of  Suez,  and  up  the  W.  Hibran  ;  another  interme- 
diate, by  tlio  wadys  Shellal,  Mukattcb,  Feiran,  and  Sheikh  ; 
and  a  third  north  of  botli,  by  the  W.  Hurar,  the  Debbet  er 
Ramleh,  and  the  \V.  Sheikh,  The  intervening  stations  are  the 
wiklerness  of  Sin,  Dophkali,  Ahish,  and  Rephidim,  all  of 
which  being  unknown  fail  to  give  us  any  aid  in  deterniiuing 
the  route  actually  pursued.  The  first  route,  however,  extend- 
ing to  nearly  1  00  miles,  while  the  others  are  about  eighty 
miles,  may  be  rejected  as  too  long  for  five  days'  march.  If 
the  wilderness  of  Sin  be  the  plain  of  el  Kaa,  the  route  must 
have  been  through  the  wadys  Mukatteb  and  Feinin,  ;is  this 
alone  of  the  remaining  two  touched  on  that  plain.  If  it  be 
the  Debbet  er-Ramleh,  the  route  must  have  been  the  most 
northern  of  the  three.  Wady  esh-Sheikh  forms  the  closing 
part  of  both  these  routes.  The  northern  one  seems  the  mo.st 
open  for  a  large  body  of  men.  The  intermediate  one  is  that  pre- 
ferred by  most  scholars.  It  merely  touches  upon  el- Kaa  at 
Ain  el-Murkhah.  Its  main  attractions  lie  in  the  W.  Mukatteb 
and  W.  Feiran.  The  former,  the  written  valley,  is  remarkable 
for  the  number  of  its  rude  sculptures,  consisting  of  inscriptions 
in  the  Nabathjean,  Greek,  and  Latin  characters,  and  figiii-es  of 
men,  animals,  and  some  other  objects,  on  the  flat  surfaces  of 
the  free-stone  rocks  of  which  the  valley  is  composed.  But 
these,  though  noticed  by  Cosmas  as  early  as  535  A.c,  are  not 
yet  proved  to  have  any  connection  with  the  Israelites,  and  more- 
over are  not  confined  to  the  Wady  Mukatteb.  Wady  Feiran 
contains  the  ruins  of  Feiran,  the  Faran  of  early  Christian  times, 
the  resort  of  pilgrims,  and  the  see  of  a  bishop  as  early  as  the 
fourth  century.  Hence  many  have  been  disposed  to  find  here  the 
Paran  of  Scripture,  and  thus  establish  at  least  one  identification 
of  names  in  this  region.  But,  1,  the  narrative  contains  no  men- 
tion of  Paran  ;  2,  the  people  did  not  reach  the  wilderness  of 
Paran  till  they  had  travelled  at  least  five  day.s'  journey  in  a 
northerly  direction  from  Sinai  (Num.  x.  12,  33,  xi.  3,  35,  xii. 
16);  and,  3,  the  two  occurrences  of  Mount  Paran  (Deut.  xxxiii. 
2  ;  Hab.  iii.  3)  connect  it  with  Sinai  not  more  clo.sely  than 
Seir  and  Teman,  and  therefore  afford  a  very  precarious  ground 
for  identification.  These  two  passages,  however,  may  have 
led  to  a  patristic  identification  of  Mount  Paran  with  Serbal, 
the  lofty  five-peaked  mountain  south  of  W.  Feiran.  But  even 

L 


162  THE  EOUTE  TO  SINAI.  "" 

if  thisbeParan,  the  omission  of  so  remarkable  a  name  in  the  nar- 
rative both  here  and  in  Num.  xxx.  is  strongly  against  the  hy- 
pothesis that  Israel  travelled  by  this  route.  As  there  is  nothing 
in  the  text  demanding  this  middle  route,  so  there  are  some  con- 
siderations that  seem  not  unfavourable  to  the  one  more  to  the 
north.  1.  There  is  but  one  station  on  the  Red  Sea.  If  the 
line  of  march  had  lain  in  el-Kaa,  there  would  have  been  more 
than  one  on  the  shore.  2.  The  wilderness  of  Sin  is  said  to  be 
between  Elim  and  Sinai  ;  which  agrees  very  well  with  Deb- 
bet  er-Ramleh,  but  can  only  be  applied  in  a  very  loose  sense 
to  el-Kaa.  8.  The  marching  host  would  be  kept  as  near  the 
wandering  families  and  flocks  as  possible.  This  is  favourable 
to  the  line  farthest  north,  and  decidedly  against  that  by  el- 
Kaa.  For  the  wanderers  would  go  as  little  toward  the  south 
as  possible,  seeing  they  were  eventually  to  turn  to  the 
north.  They  would  linger  about  the  wadys,  where  water  and 
fodder  were  accessible.  We  can  imagine  some  of  them  in  the 
wadys  Mukatteb  and  Feiran,  and  still  more  in  the  wady  Wutah, 
and  along  the  slopes  of  Jebel  et-Tih,  north  of  the  Debbet  er- 
Ramleh.  It  would  be  very  desirable  that  the  collective  body 
that  formed  the  centre  of  the  horde,  should  be  somewhere 
between  the  wandering  parties  of  women  and  young  people, 
and  therefore  in  the  south  border  of  Debbet  er-Ramleh.  4. 
The  wilderness  of  Sin  would  then  be  the  Debbet  er-Ramleh,  or 
"  Sandy  Plain,"  the  first  part  of  which,  the  Debbet  en-Nusb, 
would  be  reached  in  one  day's  march  from  Wady  Taiyibeh, 
and  might  be  left  in  another  march  by  penetrating  into  the 
system  of  wadys  that  lie  on  its  south  side.  5.  The  stations 
Dophkah  and  Alush,  which  possibly  correspond  with  Wadj^s 
Mureikhy  and  Akhdar,  present  no  notable  feature  or  incident, 
and  are  therefore  omitted  in  tliepresent  narrative,  a  circumstance 
not  so  likely  in  Wadys  Mukatteb  and  Feiran.  6.  The  route 
by  Debbet  er-Ramleh  is  the  more  open  and  easj-  for  a  large 
body  of  men.  There  are  some  very  difficult  passes  in  the 
other  route,  which  render  it  passable  only  for  small  companies 
at  a  time,  and,  therefore,  insuperable  for  600,00.0  men  in  five 
days'  march.  For  all  these  reasons  we  must  reject  the  route 
by  el-Kaa,  unless  we  are  prepared  to  take  Jebel  Um  Shaumer, 
the  most  southern  peak  of  the  mountain  group,  for  Sinai. 
And  for  some  of  them,   chiefly   2   and  5,  we  are  strongly 


EXODUS  xvr.  1-3.  163 

inclined  to  prefer  the  northern  route,  .as  the  most  proL.able. 
We  are  the  more  contented  to  rest  in  this  conclusion,  when 
we  imaf^ine  the  Wadys  Mukatteb  and  Feiran,  and  all  others 
lying  either  south  or  north  of  Debbet  er-Ramleh,  abundantly 
peopled  with  the  women  and  young  people  under  twenty  years 
of  arje,  who  are  disannexed  from  the  central  host.  It 
is  extremely  desirable  that  these,  who  are  nearly  double  the 
number  of  the  full-grown  men,  should  have  as  much  scope  us 
possible  in  the  environs  of  the  main  body,  for  the  sustenance 
of  themselves,  and  their  flocks  and  herds.  We  do  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  confine  them  even  to  the  south  of  Jebel  et-Tih,  the 
great  cretaceous  range,  running  in  an  ea.'^t-south-eastern  direc- 
tion, and  separating  et-Tih,  or  the  wilderness  of  Paran,  from 
the  mountainous  region  of  the  south.  For  these  roaminff 
companies  could  only,  in  a  very  limited  degree,  partake  of  the 
miraculous  supplies,  especially  of  water,  afl^oi'dcd  to  the  con- 
gregated host,  and  must,  therefore,  have  an  ample  range  for 
the  water  and  herbage  that  ^vill  meet  the  most  pressing  wants 
of  their  numerous  cattle. 

Assuming,  then,  that  Debbet  er-Ramleh  is  the  wilderness  of 
Sin,  we  ascend  W.  Humr,  which,  according  to  Robinson,  is 
broad,  and  opens  out  into  a  large  plain,  with  another  broad 
w\ady  coming  into  it  from  the  east.  The  plain  is  contracted 
by  Sarbut  el-Jemel  into  a  wady,  where  the  limestone  gives 
j)lace  to  the  sandstone.  A  broad  belt  of  sandstone  runs 
between  the  limestone  of  Jebel  et-Tih,  and  the  granite  of  the 
Jebel  et-Tur,  to  which  Sinai  belongs.  After  passing  this 
wady,  which  contains  some  specimens  of  the  rock  sculptures, 
the  road  again  emerges  on  a  broad  plain  sprinkled  with 
herbage.  Somewhere  about  the  entrance  of  Wady  en-Nu.sb, 
in  which  is  a  fine  spring  not  fiir  from  the  route,  we  may  sup- 
pose the  host  to  have  encamped  in  the  wilderness  of  Sin.  On 
the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  of  tlteir  departure,  that 
is,  of  the  year  of  their  departure.  A  full  month,  therefore, 
after  they  left  Riimeses,  they  reached  the  wilderness  of  Sin, 
with  resources  completely  exhausted. 

v.  2,  3.  All  the  assemhhj.  This  refers  we  conceive  to  the 
600,000  men  of  the  marshalled  host.  Muvmured  atjainst 
Moses    and    Aaron.     The    want  of   food  now  beLran  to  be 


164  THE  PROMISE  OF  BREAD. 

sharply  felt.  They  saw  nothing  but  starvation  before  them,  and 
they  regarded  Moses  and  Aaron  as  the  authors  of  their  present 
strait. 

V.  4-10.  He  that  destroyed  the  harvest  of  Egypt  by  the 
hail  and  the  locust  now  engages  to  rain  bread  for  them  from 
heaven.  Gather  a  certain  rate  every  day.  This  was  to  be 
daily  bread.  That  1  may  prove  them.  As  the  abundance  of 
Egypt  vanished  away  before  the  indignation  of  the  Lord,  so 
the  very  barrenness  of  the  wilderness  gave  way  to  the  bounti- 
ful hand  of  the  Lord,  supplying  their  daily  wants.  In  all 
this  he  was  continuing  the  process  of  their  probation.  Their 
patience,  faith,  dependence,  and  thankfulness  of  spirit,  were 
constantly  put  to  the  test  in  their  present  experience,  v.  5. 
On  the  sixth  day  double  allowance  shall  be  gathered.  This 
is  one  element  in  the  miraculous  nature  of  the  present  supply. 
They  shall  prepare,  measure,  pound,  or  grind  the  whole 
quantity  gathered  (Num.  xi.  8),  It  may  also  extend  to  the 
cooking  (v.  23).  v.  6,  7.  Moses  and  Aaron  now  communicate 
the  benignant  design  of  the  Lord  to  the  people.  Then  shall 
ye  knotu.  By  experience  of  his  wonder-working  power  they 
would  have  a  new  proof  that  he  had  brought  them  out  of 
Egypt.  They  seemed  to  forget  his  wonders  in  Egypt,  when 
they  ascribed  their  present  position  to  Moses  and  Aaron. 
Then  ye  shall  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  This  is  the  parallel 
of  the  preceding  sentence.  The  glory  of  the  Lord  is  seen, 
when  his  hand  is  put  forth  for  the  protection  of  his  people,  by 
the  discomfiture  of  their  enemies,  and  for  their  preservation 
by  the  preternatural  bestowment  of  the  means  of  life.  Since 
he  heareth  your  miirmurings.  In  his  long-suffering  mercy 
he  will  give  another  proof  of  his  presence  and  love,  that  his 
people  may  at  length  lay  aside  their  impatience  and  unbelief, 
and  feel  that  their  murmming  is  really  against  the  Lord,  and 
not  against  the  mere  executors  of  his  will.  v.  8.  Moses  alone 
now  explains  to  the  people  what  the  Lord  is  about  to  do. 
V.  9.  He  then  directs  Aaron  to  summon  the  people  before  the 
Lord,  that  is,  to  draw  near  to  the  place  where  the  pillar  of 
cloud  and  fire  was.  v.  1 0.  The  people  at  the  word  of  Aaron 
turned  toward  the  wilderness.  The  glory  of  the  Lord 
ai^peared  in  the  cloud.  Such  a  dazzling  brightness  burst 
through  the  cloud  as  manifested  the  immediate  presence  of  the 
Lord. 


EXODUS  XVI.  11,  12.  165 

V.  11,  12.  The  Lord,  having  now  manifested  his  glorious 
presence  in  the  cloud  to  the  beholding  people,  charges  Moses 
with  a  message  to  the  people,  promising  relief  to  their  hunger. 
"  Between  the  evenings,"  from  the  beginning  of  the  evening 
before  sunset  to  the  end  of  twilight  (see  on  Gen.  i.  4).  Ye 
shall  knoiv  that  I  am  Jehovah  your  God.  The  instruction  of 
his  people  is  a  primary  object  with  God.  He  has  gifted  them 
with  reason,  and  he  expects  to  be  served  with  the  understand- 
ing and  the  will.  This  can  be  done  only  so  far  Jis  they  know 
liim  to  be  God,  the  Eternal  and  Almighty,  to  be  Jehovah,  the 
Creator  and  Upholder  of  all  things,  and  to  be  their  God,  to 
whom  they  are  reconciled  through  his  pardoning,  redeeming, 
and  quickening  mercy.  It  is  manifest  that  every  event  in 
his  gracious  dealings  with  thera  is  a  step  in  the  process  of 
their  spiritual  training.  This  alone  will  explain  the  various 
preparatory  steps  in  this  miraculous  interposition.  He  first 
allows  the  people  to  feel  their  need  (i.  3),  then  he  intimates 
his  intention  to  Moses,  then  Moses  and  Aaron  admonish  the 
people,  then  Moses  announces  the  promise  of  food,  then  Moses 
directs  Aaron  to  call  the  people  before  the  Lord,  then  the  Lord 
manifesting  his  presence  recapitulates  his  message  to  Moses, 
and  lastly  performs  his  promise. 

V.  13-21.  The  performance  of  the  promise  is  now  recorded. 
Quails,  literally  "  the  quail  "  in  a  collective  sense,  a  well-known 
species  of  migrating  bird,  that  passes  the  winter  in  inner 
Africa  and  the  summer  in  the  northern  regions.  These  are 
brought  in  great  numbers  to  the  camp  of  Israel,  when  being 
wearied  with  their  long  flight,  they  are  easily  taken  and 
killed.  The  miracle  consisted  in  bringing  the  quails  at  the 
stated  time  to  the  required  place,  and  in  suflicient  numbers 
for  the  supply  of  a  large  host,  and  in  announcing  beforehand 
their  arrival. 

Cavie  up.  Came  up  on  the  wing,  and  therefore  made 
their  appearance  from  a  lower  gi-ound  in  the  air.  And  filled 
the  camj-),  alighted  on  the  area  occupied  by  the  wide-spread 
host.  Tlie  dew  lay.  Literally,  there  was  a  lying  or  layer  of 
dew,  a  deposit  on  the  surface  from  the  surrounding  atmo- 
sphere. We  say  a  fall  of  dew.  The  former  is  the  more  exact 
figure. 

v.  14-,  15.   Tlie  dew  that  lay  went  up — a  natural  figure  for 


16' 6  THE  PROMISE  OF  BREAD. 

the  evaporation  of  the  dew  that  had  fallen  during  the  night. 
Something  fine  and  crisp,-  fine  as  the  rirae  on  the  ground. 
This  indicates  a  small  grain,  scaled  or  hardened  after  the  dry- 
ing up  of  the  moisture.  The  smallness  or  fineness  of  the 
grain  is  compared  with  that  of  the  rime  or  hoarfrost  on  the 
ground.  "VVe  shall  have  other  qualities  of  the  jnanna  as  we 
proceed  (v.  31).  It  is  manna.  The  original  words,  ^<^i"i  t^ 
are  generally  rendered  as  in  the  margin  of  our  authorised  ver- 
sion, '^  What  is  this  ? "  But  the  former  rendering  appears  to 
be  demanded  by  the  following  reasons: — 1.  "What  is  this" 
is  expressed  by  a  different  phrase,  HiHTiD  in  the  next  sentence. 
The  Masoretes  favour  this  distinction  by  pointing  x^n  |0  not 
S<^n"}D  as  in  Dan.  jii.  1  5.  2.  The  explanatory  sentence,  "  for 
they  wist  not  what  it  was  "  is  superfluous,  if  the  latter  meaning 
of  fc^iK  JO  be  taken.  For  the  question,  "What  is  this?"  im- 
plies that  they  knew  not  what  it  was.  The  presence  of  this 
sentence,  therefore,  suggests  another  meaning  for  the  previous 
words.  3.  The  former  meaning  gives  a  significance  to  the 
explanatory  clause.  The  people  say  one  to  another  in  an  in- 
quiring way,  "  It  is  manna."  By  a  common  law  of  analogy 
or  conversational  generalization  they  give  it  the  name  of  a 
comparatively  scanty  product  of  nature,  to  which  it  bears  a 
considerable  resemblance  in  locality,  colour,  form,  and  perhaps 
taste,  though  it  differs  in  origin,  season,  quantity,  and  other 
properties.  They  do  this  in  the  ignorance"  of  the  moment. 
This  is  what  is  expressed  by  the  explanatory  clause — "for 
they  wist  not  what  it  was."  They  had  no  name  for  a  new 
product,  and  they  take  the  common  method  of  calling  it  by 
the  name  of  that  which  most  nearly  resembled  it.  Moses  does 
not  reject  the  name,  but  proceeds  to  explain  the  nature  and 
origin  of  that  which  they  had  so  named  provisionally.  It  is 
the  bread.  Such  is  its  nature.  Which  the  Lord  hath  given  you. 
Such  is  its  origin. 

The  natural  manna  is  gathered  early  in  June,  a  month  later 
than  the  present  time,  and  in  small  quantity,  not  sufficient  for 
the  chief  support  of  life.  The  supernatural  manna  was  gathered 
every  day.  Sabbaths  excepted,  throughout  the  whole  year,  and 
in  quantities  sufficient  for  the  main  sustenance  of  a  nation  of 
at  least  1,600,000  souls  during  a  period  of  forty  years. 


EXODUS  XVI.  22-27.  ]G7 

V.  lG-21.  The  manner  of  gathering  the  manna  is  licre  pre- 
scribed. Every  man  acconl'uKj  to  his  eating,  according  to 
the  number  of  his  family.  Tiiis  is  exphiined  by  the  following 
words.  An  omer  (see  v.  3G),  to  the  jioll  for  the  number  of  your 
jx'rsons.  This  was  the  rate  at  which  each  gatherer  was  to 
aim.  For  them  that  are  in  his  tent.  The  tent  (Geu  iv.  20) 
is  an  awning  or  outside  covering  of  any  kind  over  the  wooden 
poles  or  framework  which  formed  the  principal  feature  of  the 
booth.  The  tent  was  older  than  the  deluge,  and  the  phrase, 
"  them  that  are  in  his  tent,"  indicates  a  man's  family  or  com- 
pany, Avhatever  might  be  the  covert  under  which  they  took 
slielter  in  the  desert.  It  does  not  therefore  determine  that 
all  or  any  were  actually  possessed  of  fully-cqui])ped  tents  of 
hair-canvass,  but  that  in  general  each  had  a  family  or  com- 
pany with  which  he  tabernacled  as  best  he  could  in  this  tem- 
porary mode  of  life.  v.  17,  18.  And  they  gaiherad  some 
nnore,  some  less.  Every  man  endeavoured  to  gather  at  least 
as  much  as  would  serve  his  need,  but  some  were  more  success- 
ful than  others  in  the  unmeasured  result.  And  he  that  ga- 
thered much  had  nothing  over.  If  the  grasping  hand  of 
covetousness  or  a  more  favourable  ground  occasioned  a  greater 
gathering  by  some  than  by  others,  yet  was  the  omer  filled  for 
each,  and  neither  more  nor  less.  A  potent  argumiiit  to  teach 
them,  if  they  would  learn,  that  all  men  are  equal  in  the  sight 
of  our  heavenly  Father.  There  was  a  miracle  here,  take  it 
how  we  will ;  an'd  it  would  be  the  height  of  absurdity  to 
meddle  with  the  natural  meaning  of  the  words  in  order  to 
give  a  simpler  form  to  the  miiaculous  act.  He  that  distri- 
buted his  bounty  here  could  equalise  each  single  gathering  as 
easily  as  the  collected  whole  with  the  ration  allotted  to  each. 
V.  1  0-21.  Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till  the  morning.  Another 
mighty  leveller  for  all  the  selfishness  of  pride.  No  store  is 
to  be  accumulated.  It  was  in  vain  that  any  one  disobeyed 
this  command.  That  which  was  reserved  h'lU  the  second  day 
became  })utrid.  This  in  itself  w^as  miracul-a^s,  as  the  natural 
manna  kept  for  a  considerable  time.  jXnd  when  the  sun 
VKixed  hot,  it  melted.  The  portion  that  was  ungathered  ia 
this  manner  disappeared. 

V.  22-27.  Not  only  the  supply,  but  the  manner  of  it  is 
miraculous.      On  five  days  a  quantity  sufficient  fur  one  day 


168  THE  PEOMISE  OF  BREAD. 

on  the  sixth  enough  for  two  days,  and  on  the  seventh  none 
whatever  is  found.  A II  the  rulers  of  the  assembly.  These  are 
the  heads  of  tribes,  and  of  father's  houses  (Num.  iii.  24,  30,  35). 
Came  and  told  Moses.  Moses  had  not  communicated  the 
intimation  that  on  the  sixth  day  they  would  receive  a  double 
supply.  The  arrangement  was  a  deviation  from  the  law  of 
nature,  which  knows  nothing  of  a  seventh  day's  rest.  The 
phenomenon,  therefore,  demanded  an  explanation.  To-morrovj 
is  the  rest  of  the  holy  Sabbath  to  the  Lord.  The  word  "  rest " 
is  here  put  first,  because  the  thing  to  be  noted  is  the  cessation 
of  labour  on  the  morrow  as  a  reason  for  the  double  supply  on 
the  sixth  day.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  rulers  were  un- 
acquainted with  the  Sabbath.  But  they  had  no  experience 
hitherto  of  a  special  provision  on  the  Lord's  part  for  its  con- 
venient observance.  In  the  annual  return  of  the  ordinary 
harvest  a  store  was  laid  up  for  the  year  from  which  they  coul4 
supply  themselves  for  the  Sabbath.  But  now  they  were 
nourished  from  day  to  day.  Hence  the  necessity  of  a  double 
ration  on  the  sixth  day,  if  the  Sabbath  was  to  be  duly  kept. 
It  is  possible  that  the  Sabbath  was  imperfectly  observed,  or 
altogether  neglected  during  the  bondage  of  Israel  in  Egypt, 
though  there  is  no  positive  indication  of  this  in  the  text. 
That  it  should  have  been  forgotten,  however,  is  contrary  to 
the  traditionary  customs  of  many  other  nations  besides  the 
Jews.  Traces  of  the  septenary  division  of  time  have  been 
found  among  the  Egyptians,  Hindoos,  Chinese,  and  Peruvians. 
From  the  first  of  these  it  is  said  (Dion  Cassius)  to  have  passed 
to  the  Greeks,  Romans,  and  the  Teutonic  nations.  If  it  has  left 
its  mark  on  those  scattered  Gentiles,  much  more  must  it  have 
been  remembered  among  the  chosen  people  who  were  so  near 
the  origin  of  mankind,  and  seem  to  have  possessed  a  continued 
thread  of  well-authenticated  tradition.  All  that  remaineth 
over,  after  partaking  for  the  day,  of  the  two  omers  which  had 
been  prepared  fo;;  ''ood  in  whatever  manner  they  pleased.  Lay 
up  for  you  >^^  4^,11  fo^*  eating  on  the  following  da}^  Hence 
Moses  says  on  tiiv>3abbath  (v.  25)  not,  "bake  or  seethe,"  but 
"eat  it."  V.  24.  It  did  not  stink.  That  it  should  have  be- 
come putrid  the  day  after  being  cooked  is  no  new  difficulty, 
when  we  are  in  the  region  of  the  miraculous,  v.  25,  26. 
Directions  are   now  explicitly  given   regarding  the   days  on 


EXODUS  XVI.  28-31.  169 

which  the  manna  was  to  bo  gathered,  v.  27.  Some  of  the 
j)cople,  from  inadvertence  or  ignorance  of  tlie  directions  given, 
make  the  experiment,  and  find  the  prophet's  word  good. 

V.  28-31.  The  tran.sgressors  are  now  rebuked  through 
;Moses  for  their  heedless  disobedience.  My  covimandmenta 
and  my  Imvs  (see  on  Gen.  xxvi.  5).  The  former  probal^ly 
refer  to  tlie  special  regulations  concerning  the  manna ;  tiie 
latter  to  the  standinf;  institution  of  the  Sabbath,  v.  29.  The 
Lord  hath  given  you  the  Sabbath.  There  is  in  the  previous 
passage  no  express  giving  of  the  Sabbath,  but  rather  a  tacit 
assumption  that  it  has  been  already  given.  This  is  in 
accordance  with  its  institution  at  the  creation  of  man  recorded 
in  Gen.  ii.  1-3.  It  is  here  to  be  noted  that  the  Sabbath  is  a 
gift  to  man,  who  is  doomed  to  labour  in  his  fjillen  state  (Gen. 
iii.  17-19).  A  periodical  recurrence  of  relief  from  labour  and 
leisure  for  fellowship  with  God  and  with  one  another  is  a  pre- 
cious boon  of  heaven  to  the  toil-worn  in  body  or  mind. 
Abide  ye  every  man  in  his  place.  Come  not  out  for  any 
business,  such  as  gathering  manna.  They  were  at  liberty  to 
go  abroad  for  any  purpose  accordant  with  the  Sabbath,  such 
as  attendance  on  the  holy  convocation  (Lev.  xxiii.  3,  Acts  xv. 
21).  Even  works  of  necessity  or  mercy,  that  cannot  be  put 
off  till  tlie  next  day,  are  not  regarded  as  a  real  bieach  of  the 
Sabbath  (Matt.  xii.  1-13,  Mark  ii.  23-28).  There  seems  to 
have  been  no  limit  to  the  distance  to  be  walked  on  the  Sab- 
bath beyond  that  of  convenience,  leisure  from  business,  and 
release  from  toil.  The  Rabbinical  rule  of  later  times,  how- 
ever, was  that  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  should  consist  of 
two  thousnnd  cubits,  about  five  or  six  furlongs.  This  was 
imagined  to  be  the  distance  of  the  remotest  part  of  the  camp 
from  the  tabernacle.  It  was  the  distance  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives  from  Jerusalem  (Acts  i.  12).  v.  30.  Rested,  ^na^h, 
kept  the  Sabbath,  or  day  of  rest. 

v.  3  J .  We  have  already  seen  that  the  manna  from  heuven 
(Ps.  Ixxviii.  24,  cv.  40)  was  like  a  fine  grain,  as  small  a>s  the 
hoar-frost.  We  are  now  informed  that  it  was  like  coriander 
seed  in  form,  of  a  whitish  colour,  and  of  the  taste  of  a 
cake  made  with  honey.  It  could  be  also  baked  or  seethed  ; 
and  this  is  in  accordance  with  the  statementin  Num.  xi.  7,  8. 
"  And   the   manna  was  like  coriander  seed,   and  the  colour 


170  THE  PROMISE  OF  BREAD. 

thereof  as  the  colour  of  bdellium.  And  the  people  M^ent 
about  and  gathered  and  ground  it  in  the  mill,  or  beat  it  in 
the  mortar,  and  baked  it  in  the  pan,  and  made  cakes  of  it;  and 
the  taste  of  it  was  as  the  taste  of  oil  cates."  From  the  de- 
scription given  above,  it  will  be  apparent  that  the  miraculous 
manna  bore  such  a  resemblance  to  the  natural  pi'oduct  so 
called,  as  to  lead  to  the  employment  of  a  name  common  to 
both.  But  the  natural  manna  differed  from  the  supernatural 
in  its  chemical  ingredients ;  the  former  being  of  a  gummy  or 
resinous  nature,  and  the  latter  containing  a  farinaceous  ele- 
ment. Hence  the  latter  could  be  ground  and  baked  into 
bread  or  boiled  into  pottage,  for  which  the  former  was  only  a 
condiment.  The  natural  manna  also  could  be  kept  for  years  ; 
the  supernatural  became  putrid  in  a  night.  Other  differences 
have  been  noted  on  verses  14,  15.  The  taste  of  the  "cake 
made  with  honey  "  was  probably  much  the  same  as  that  of 
the  "  oil  cates."  But  the  one  may  refer,  as  some  think,  to 
the  taste  of  the  raw  and  the  other  to  that  of  the  baked 
manna.  The  colour  of  bdellium  when  fresh  and  pure  was 
probably  whitish. 

v.  32-36.  This  great  gift  of  bread  from  heaven  to  the 
chosen  people  during  forty  years  in  the  wilderness  was  worthy 
to  be  had  in  perpetual  remembrance.  It  was  in  itself  a  mar- 
vellous boon  ;  it  taught  the  grand  lesson  of  entire  dependence 
upon  the  Almighty  Father  of  all ;  and  it  was  a  striking  type 
of  the  bread  of  God,  which  cometh  down  from  heaven  and 
giveth  life  unto  the  world.  Hence  the  command  to  lay  up 
an  omer-full  of  the  manna  to  be  kept  for  the  generations  to 
come.  v.  33.  A  pot  The  word  in  the  original  occurs  only 
here,  and  probably  denotes  a  more  permanent  vessel  than  a 
mere  basket.  In  the  Sept.  we  find  gtuimov  j^jcoZv,  a  golden 
jar,  a  rendering  which  is  adopted  in  the  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  (ix.  4).  Before  the  Lord.  This  is  explained  in  the 
next  verse  by  the  phrase,  "  before  the  testimony."  This  tes- 
timony of  God  to  the  great  principles  of  morality  was  the  law 
written  on  the  tables  of  stone  and  deposited  in  the  ark  (xxv.  1  6), 
thence  called  the  ark  of  the  testimony.  "Before  the  testi- 
mony," therefore,  means  in  the  ark  of  the  testimony  (Heb.  ix.  4), 
whence,  however,  it  had  disappeared  in  the  time  of  Solomon 
(1  Kings  viii.  9).  v.  34.  So  Aaron  laid  it  up.  .This  act  of 
Aaron  must  have  been  performed  after  the  ark  was  made  and 


EXODUS  XVI.  31-3G.  "  171 

the  tables  of  stone  were  deposited  in  it.  Tlie  record  of  it, 
though  not  written  till  after  these  events,  is  appended  here  to 
complete  all  that  is  necessary  to  ho  told  concerning  tlie 
manna.  v.  35.  Ate  7nanna  forty  years.  We  are  told  in 
Jt)shua  V.  1  2,  that  the  manna  ceased  on  the  morrow  after  they 
had  eaten  of  the  new  corn  of  the  land,  which  was  on  the  mor- 
row after  the  passover.  As  the 'manna  commenced  on  or 
after  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month,  and  therefore  a 
month  after  the  passover  in  Egypt,  the  people  ate  of  the 
manna  forty  years  wanting  a  month.  Until  they  came  to  a 
land  inliahltcd.  In  contrast  with  the  wilderness,  in  which 
were  only  wanderers  and  not  settled  inhabitants.  This  verse 
determines,  in  a  general  way,  the  place  as  well  as  the  time  of 
the  ceasing  of  the  manna,  more  widely  in  the  phrase  quoted, 
and  more  strictly  in  the  words,  "  until  they  went  to  the  bor- 
der of  the  land  of  Kenaan."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
people  had  in  most  places,  and  especially  when  they  had 
made  the  conquest  of  Persia,  some  ordinary  supplies  of  food. 
But  those  who  needed  would  still  go  out  to  gather,  until  the 
supply  of  the  new  corn  of  the  land  satisfied  the  demands  of 
all.  This  verse  was  no  doubt  added  when  Moses  was  revis- 
ing and  completing  his  materials  for  Exodus,  in  the  plains  of 
Moab,  by  Jordan,  near  Jericho  (Num.  xxxvi.  13),  or  in  the 
valley  over  against  Beth-peor  (Deut.  iii.  29).  The  sentence 
is  evidently  such  as  might  be  written  by  a  prophet  who  was 
aware  that  the  forty  years  of  wilderness  life  were  drawing  to 
a  close,  and  perceived  the  supply  of  manna  waning  to  its 
end,  according  as  the  natural  products  of  the  land  were 
approaching  to  a  full  satisfiiction  of  the  people's  wants. 

V.  3G.  The  oracr.  This  name  of  a  measure  seems  to  have 
gone  out  of  use  in  the  space  of  forty  years.  Moses,  tlure- 
fore,  in  the  revising  of  the  book  of  Exodus  at  the  end  of  tiiat 
period,  takes  occasion  to  add  that  the  omer  was  the  tenth  [tart 
of  an  ephah.  Josephus  (viii.  2.  1 1)  assumes  the  bath  or  ephah, 
to  be  equal  to  72  xestai.  Now,  it  was  estimated  by  Bertheau 
that  a  bath  or 

metretes  =12  choes   =  8.GG9G  gal. 

chous  =     G  xestai  =     .7225    ,, 

sextary  or  xestes=:      2cotyla;=      .1204    „ 
cotyla  =      .0G02    „ 


172  WATER  FROM  THE  ROCK, 

Theomer  would  thus  be  .8669  gal,  or  about  7  pints.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Rabbins,  however,  a  log  was  equal  to  the  contents 
of  six  eggs  ;and,  therefore,  a  bath,  orephah,  containing  72  logs, 
held  according  to  theestimateofThenius,  4.4286  gal.,  and  conse- 
quently the  omer  .4428  gal.,  or  above  3|  pints.  Now,  3  pints 
of  meal  is  sufficient,  on  an  average,  for  the  daily  support  of 
each  member  of  a  family.  As  the  manna,  then,  would  be 
pure  nutriment,  without  any  considerable  loss  in  the  prepara- 
tion, we  must  regard  the  Rabbinical  estimate  as  a  close  approxi- 
mation to  the  truth,  and  that  of  Josephus  as  an  exaggeration. 
This  author  is  not  precise  in  his  identifications ;  as  he  makes 
the  fourth  part  of  a  cab   =xestes=    .1204  gal, 

cab     =    .4816 
6  cabs  =seah  =  2.8896 
8  seahs  =  bath  =8.2688. 
His  value  is  thus  only  approximate.     But   in  III.  vi.  6,  the 
omer  is  made  =  7  cotylae  =  .4214  gal.,  and  therefore  the  bath 
=  4.214.     This,  we  perceive,  deviates  much  from  his  other 
estimates,  and  approaches  very  nearly  to  that  of  the  Rabbins. 
We  subjoin  a  table  of  Hebrew  measures  of  capacity: — 


Gal. 

Quart. 

Pint. 

Homer  =10  ephahs 

or  baths 

= 

44 

0 

Ephah  =     3  seahs  = 

=  10 

omers 

= 

4 

1.4 

Seah      =     6  cabs 

=. 

1 

1.8 

Omer    = 

: 

0 

1.54 

Bath     =      6  bins 



4 

1.4 

Hin      =12  logs 

= 

0 

2 

1.9 

Log      =     6  eggs 

=^ 

0 

0 

0.5 

XVII.    ROCK  STRICKEN. AMALEK  SMITTEN. 

1.  D''TDi  Rephidim,    r.  spread  out,  rest  tipon.    Piel.  sup- 
port. 

6,  ^jn  Horeb.  Drought,  waste. 

7.  i^sp  Massah,  irnpaei/.hi,  temptation.    •"'^'''lO  Meribah,  Xoibi- 
friSig,  chiding,  strife. 

9.  J?^cnn^  Jehoshua,  Jehovah  saves.     See  Num.  xiii.  1 6. 


EXODUS  XVII.  173 

15.  *B3n^n^  Jehovah -nissi,  the  Lord  my  banner. 

2.  ^3ri  Give  ye,  referring  to  Mcses  and  Aaron.  Some  SISS., 
the  Sam.,  Sept.,  Targ.  and  Vulg.  have  njn^  agreeing  with 
Moses  alone.      It  is  an  easier  reading. 

11.  Iiv  VT  in  both  cases  is  the  reading  of  tlie  Sam.,  Sept., 
Targ.,  Syr.  and  Vulg.    This  also  is  an  easier  reading. 

11.  '^'^^  ChuT,  noble.  '^J'^^N  either  ^?'77i9ie«s,  the  substantive 
for  the  adjective,  or  firm,  the  singular,  not  the  plural,  because 
Moses  held  up  only  one  hand  at  a  time. 

13.  ^ns  lurile.  "^^'^  has  occurred  in  Exod.  v.  C,  denoting 
a  scribe  or  accountant. 

IG.  >^1  D3  throne  of  Jah.  D3  is  here  supposed  to  be  for 
HD3^  which  is  indeed  the  reading  of  the  Sam.  for  these  four 
letters.  This  meaning  of  the  word  is  found  in  the  Targ., 
Arab.,  Pers.  and  Vulg.  The  Sept.  has  ev  '^u^]  y.^v^paicf,  evi- 
dently reading  ^'03.  One  M.S.  is  said  to  have  D3,  which  is 
a  favourite  reading  with  many  expositors.  It  is,  however, 
without  support,  and  besides  affords  no  better  sense  than  the 
common  readincj. 

And  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel  set  out  from  the  wil- 
derness of  Sin,  after  their  journeys,  according  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  they  pitched  in  Rephidim  ;  and  there  was  no  water  for 
the  people  to  drink.  2  And  the  people  chid  with  Moses,  and  .said, 
Give  us  water  to  drink.  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  "Why  chide  ye 
with  me  1  Why  tempt  ye  the  Lord  ?  3  And  the  people  thirsted  there 
for  water,  and  the  people  murmured  against  Moses  ;  and  they  said, 
AVlierefore  is  this  that  thou  hast  brought  us  up  out  of  Mizraim  to  kill 
mo  and  my  sons,  and  my  cattle  with  thirst  1  4  And  Moses  cried  unto 
the  Lord,  saying.  What  shall  I  do  unto  this  people  ?  They  are  almost 
ready  to  stone  me.  5  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Pass  before 
the  people,  and  take  with  thee  of  the  elders  of  Israel ;  and  thy  rod 
wherewith  thou  sniotest  the  river,  take  in  thy  hand  and  go.  6  Be- 
hold, I  stand  before  thee  there  upon  the  rock  in  Horeb ;  and  thou 
shalt  smite  the  rock,  and  water  shall  come  out  of  it,  and  the  people 
shall  drink.  And  Moses  did  so  in  the  eyes  of  the  elders  of  Israel 
7  And  he  called  the  name  of  the  place  Massah  and  Meribah,  becau.se 
of  the  chiding  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  of  their  tempting  the  Lord, 
saying,  Is  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  us  or  not  ?  T  -^ 

8  Then  came  Amalek  and  fought  with  Israel  in  Pojiliidim.  0  And 
Moses  said  unto  Joshua,  Choose  us  out  men  and  go  out,   fight  with 


174  THE  KOCK  IN  HOREB  STRUCK. 

Amalek  :  to-morrovv  I  will  stand  on  the  top  of  the  hill  and  the  rod 
of  God  in  my  hand.  10  And  Joshua  did  as  Moses  said  to  him,  and 
fought  with  Amalek  :  and  Moses,  Aaron  and  Hur  went  up  to  the  top 
of  the  hill.  IT  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Moses  held  up  his  hand, 
that  Israel  prevailed  ;  and  when  he  let  down  his  hand,  Amalek  pre- 
vailed. 12  And  the  hands  of  Moses  were  heavy,  and  they  took  a  stone 
and  put  it  under  him  and  he  sat  upon  it :  and  Aaron  and  Hur 
stayed  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  this  side  and  the  other  on  that  side  ; 
and  his  hands  were  steady  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun.  13  And 
Joshua  discomfited  Amalek  and  his  people  with  the  edge  of  the 
sword.  IF  29 

14  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Write  this  for  a  memorial  in  the 
book,  and  rehearse  it  in  the  ears  of  Joshua :  for  I  will  utterly  blot  out 
the  remembrance  of  Amalek  from  under  heaven.  15  And  Moses  built 
an  altar,  and  called  its  name  JehoA'ah-nissi.  16  And  he  said.  Because 
a  hand  was  upon  the  throne  of  Jah,  the  Lord  will  have  war  with 
Amalek  from  generation  to  generation.  1 7  ^^^  30 

V.  1-7.  The  striking  of  the  rock  in  Horeb.  All  the 
assembly.  The  attention  of  the  reader  is  still  kept  to  the 
marshalled  host.  Set  out  They  had  passed  two  Sabbaths, 
and  the  intervening  week  at  the  stations  in  the  wilderness  of 
Sin.  After  their  journeys.  There  may  be  here  a  passing 
allusion  to  the  two  stations,  Dophkah  and  Alush,  which,  as 
they  were  included  in  the  wilderness  of  Sin,  and  were  not 
the  scenes  of  any  new  event  of  importance,  are  therefore 
omitted  from  the  present  narrative.  According  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Lord,  who  by  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  undertook 
their  guidance  (xiii.  21,  22).  Pitched  in  Rephidim.  This 
is  to  be  sought  in  the  Wady  Sheik,  which  runs  in  the  form 
of  an  arc  around  the  north  of  that  cluster  of  mountains  to 
which  the  general  name  of  Horeb  appears  to  have  been  given. 
It  was  certainly  arid  and  waste  as  its  name  implies.  Rephidim 
was  a  wide-spreading  plain  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  fit 
for  encampment,  but  destitute  of  water.  It  is  placed  with 
some  probability  on  the  north-east  of  the  mountainous  block. 
V.  2.  The  ijeople  chid  with  Moses.  They  had  probably  en- 
dured the  almost  intolerable  thirst  for  some  time  in  silence, 
expecting  that  Moses  would  find  means  to  extricate  them 
out  of  this  new  difficulty.  At  length,  impatient  of  delay, 
they  break  out    into    unmerited    reproaches,  as   if  he  were 


EXODUS  XVII.  8-13.  175 

trifling   with   their    sufferings.      Give    us  wafer.     They  evi- 
dently recognise  the  divine   eonmiission    of  Moses,  and  ex- 
pect hira    to   have    interlercd    on    their    behalf    before    now. 
Why  tempt  ye  the  Lord  ?     He  reminds  them  that  he  was  but 
an  agent,  and  that  the  Lord  alone  was  to  determine  the  time 
and  way   of  their    deliverance.      Against   him    therefore  they 
were   really    nnninuring.       v.    3.  And   the   peojjle    thirsted. 
Their  distress  became  every  moment  more  insufferable.    To  kill 
me.    Each  in  his  impatience  begins  to  speak  for  himself,  as  he 
pines  after  the  refreshing  draught  for  himself,  his  household 
and  his  flocks,      v.  4.  And  Moses  cried  unto  the  Lord.     The 
occasion  for  importunate  supplication  is  come.      Moses  was 
in  perplexity  and  danger.      "  It  is  only  to  wait  a  little,  and 
they  will  stone  me."     v.  5.  The  Lord  is  not  slow  to  answer. 
Fass  before  the  people.     Go    on   in  advance  of  them.      TaJce 
with  thee  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  as  concurrents  and  witnesses 
of  thy  acts  ;  that  no  one  may  say  that  the  Lord  did  not  work 
by  him,  but  that  fountains  were  there  from  of  old,  (Ra.shi). 
And  thy  rod,  wherewith  thou  smotest  the  liver,  wherewith  he 
was  now  about  to  smite  the  rock  for  water,     v.  6.  Behold,  I 
stand  before  thee  there.     The  Lord  was  to  be  there,  probably 
in  the  pillar  of  cloud  to  manifest  his  power.      Upon  the   rock 
ill  Iloreb.       The  mountain  was  towering  on  the  right  of  the 
people.     Toward  this  Moses  was  to   approach  till  he  reached 
"  the   rock,"    the  projecting   cliff  which    he   was    to    strike. 
Re])hidim   was    a   day's    march    from    Mount    Sinai   (xix.    1). 
This  is   sufHcient  to   prove   that   the  rock  in  Horeb  was   no 
the  large  boulder  in  the  valley  below  Mount  Sinai  which  tra- 
dition points  out  to  the  traveller.     And  Moses  did  so   in  the 
sijht  of  the  elders.     And   the   Lord  was  -.there  to  give  forth 
the  reviving  streams  even  from  the  hard  rock.      It  was  there 
demonstrated  that  the  Lord  was  indeed  in  the  midst  of  them 
to  make  their  bread  and  their  water  sure,  and  to  reaftirm  the 
heavenly  mission  of  his  servant.     At  this  now  blessed  spot 
they  abode  for  the  remaining  days  of  the  week. 

V.  S-1 3.  Amalek  smitten.  Then  came.  The  country  of 
these  noraades  lay  south  of  the  Philistines  (Gen.  xiv.  7). 
They  went  therefore  out  of  their  own  territory  to  assail  the 
Israelites.  As  their  pasture-grounds  penetrated  far  into  the  land 
of  Kenaan  (Judg.  v.  1 4- ;  xii.  1 5),  they  would  regard  with  a 


176  AMALEK  SMITTEN". 

hostile  feeling  a  people  who  were  on  the  way  to  take  posses- 
sion of  that  country.      With  them,  accordingly,  first  after  the 
political   independence  of  Israel  was   established,  began  the 
Gentile  antagonism  to  the  people  of  God  (Num.  xxiv.  20)  to 
make  its  appearance.      And  fought  with  Israel.      It  appears 
from  Deut.  xxv.  17,  18,  that  this  was  an  attack  upon  the  rear 
of  Israel  when  they  were  faint  and  weary.     In  Rephidim,  a 
part  of  the  great  plain  er  Ramleh,  where  there  was  space  for 
a  military  encounter,     v.  9.  Joshua   is    here  mentioned  for 
the  first  time.     His  original   name  was   Hoshea   (Num.    xiii. 
8,  1 G),  but  Moses  changed  it  to  Joshua,  partly  we  may  suppose, 
in  allusion  to  the  event  now  about  to  be  recorded.     He  is  the 
ninth  in  descent  from  Joseph,  and  of  course  the  eighth  from  Eph- 
raim(l  Chr.  vii.  20-27).    He  is  thus  the  representative  of  one  of 
the   most   important  tribes  of  Israel.      Choose  us  out  men. 
Israel  was   now  to   gird   on  his  sword  and  contend  for  his 
national  independence.      This  was  evidently  no  flying  raid  of 
the  Arnalekites,  but  a  war  of  conquest.    To-morrow  the  enemy 
awaits  them  in  battle  array.      /  will  stand  on  the  top  of  the 
hill.      Moses  with  the  rod  of  wonder-working  power  takes  his 
station  on  the  neighbouring  eminence  (not  inn  but  nv^^n),  there 
to    take    his    appropriate   part   in   the    approaching    conflict. 
V.  1 0.  Hur  was  the  fourth  in  descent  from  Judah,  and  the 
grandfather  of  Bezaleel  (xxxi.  2,  1  Chron.  ii.  9-20).     As  he 
was  the   grandfather  of  a  full-grown  man,  and  a  member  of 
the  distinguished  tribe  of  Judah,  he  was  the  meet  companion 
of  Aaron  in   attendance  upon  Moses,     v.   11,  12.  Israel  or 
Araalek  prevails  according  as  the  hand  of  Moses  is  held  up  or 
let  down.      Accordingly,  Aaron  and  Hur  stayed  up  his  hands 
alternately,  so  that  they  were  steady  till  sunset.     The  rod  is 
not  mentioned  here.      This  is  not  a  miraculous  interposition, 
but  an  ordinary  exercise  of  faith   in  God  accompanying  the 
use  of  means.     The  lifting  up  of  the  hand  or  hands  is  among 
other  things  a   gesture  in  prayer  (Lev.  ix.  22,  Ps.  xxviii.  2, 
Ixiii.  4,  1  Tim.  ii.  8).     It  is  here,  therefore,  a  figure  for  prayer. 
The  continual  holding  up  of  the  hands  denotes  perseverance 
in  prayer.     Aaron  and  Hur  joining  in  the  upholding  of  Moses' 
hands  present  a  striking  emblem  of  common  prayer,      v.  1 3. 
There   is  power  in  this  prayer  of  Moses.     Joshua  conquers. 
Amalek  and  his  people.     The  one  field  suffices  to  vanquish 


EXODUS  XVII.  It- 10.  177 

Anialek's  army  and  his  nation;  .is  tlicy  had  put  furtli  their 
whole  might  in  this  fir.st  effort.  The  next  effort  was  not 
offensive,  but  defensive,  and  in  alUance  with  the  Kenaanites 
(Num.  xiv.  45). 

V.  14-1 C.   The  importance  of  the  victory  over  Amalek  is 
set  fortl).      Write.      Here  for  the  first  time  tliis  singularly  in- 
teresting word  occurs.      It   is   implied,  indeed,  in   the  noun 
"book  "  ps?),  which  appears  in  Gen.  v.  1  as  well  as  here.    It 
indicates  that  writing  was  now  become  so  common  that  the 
word  for  it  wius  used  in  no  other  sense.      This  refers  to  the 
assault  of  Amalek,  the  victory  over  him,  the  manner  in  which 
it  was  obtained,  and  the  purpose  expressed  in  the  close  of  the 
verse.      This  was  the  first  encounter  with  the  heathen  ;   and 
every  particular    liere    enumerated    was  only  a   type  and  an 
earnest  of  what   should   take   place    in   every  future  conflict 
between   the  children  of  repentance  and  the   children  of  dis- 
obedience.     For  a  inemorial.      Writing  is  a  necessary  help  to 
recollection  when  life  is  short  and  memory  feeble.      In  the 
hook.     The  article  before  this  word  indicates  either  that  the 
book  in  question  was  well  known,  or  that  a  book  was  then  a 
well-known    object.      In  the  ears  of  Joshua,  who  was  to   be 
the  leader  of  the  people,  and  the  conqueror  of  their  enemies. 
There  was  special  adn)onition  and  encouragement  for  him  in 
the  mode  and  issue  of  this  battle.     Blot  out  the  remembrance 
of  Amalek.      The  fate  of  Amalek  may  be  read  in  Deut.  xxv. 
1  9,  1  Sam,  XV.  30,  2  Sam.  i.  1,  viii.  12,  from  which  we  learn 
that  they  were  subdued  partly  by  Saul  and  wholly  by  David, 
after  which  they  are  no  more  mentioned.     Such  will  be  the 
end  of  all  God's  adversaries,      v.  15.  An  altar.      This  is  the 
first  altar  the  erection  of  which  is  on  record,  since  the  time  of 
Jacob.      It  marks  a  new  aspect  in  the  affairs  of  the  people  of 
God.      They   have    now    asserted    their     independence,    and 
through  the  grace  of  God  gained  the  first  victory  over  ^their 
enemies.      This  is  an  omen  for  all  time  to  come.      The  erec- 
tion of  an  altar  is  always  in  scripture  a   confession  of  the 
pei-sonal  unw^orthiness  of  fallen  man,  of  the  assured  hope  of 
an   atonement,  and  of  humble    and  grateful  reliance  on   the 
grace  of  God.      Hence  the  grace  of  God  in  giving  the  victory, 
and   the   gratitude  of  the  people  in  receiving  it  here  appro- 
priately meet.     Jehovah-nissi.     The  name  of  the  altar  is  ex- 

M 


178  AMALEK  SMITTEN. 

pressive  of  thanks  for  the  past  and  trust  for  the  future  (Ps. 
XX.  5-7).  V.  16.  We  have  given  a  literal  version  of  this 
obscure  verse.  The  meaning  turns  upon  the  person  to  whom 
the  word  hand  is  referred.  If  it  refer  to  God,  the  sentence  is 
an  oath,  as  in  the  Targ.  Onk.  and  the  A.  V.  But  the  form  of 
oath  is  unusual,  and  the  connexioa  with  the  context  is  far  from 
being  obvious.  If  it  refer  to  Moses  (Bush)  or  to  Israel  (Keil) 
the  meaning  is,  "  because  the  hand  of  faith  and  prayer  is 
toward  the  throne  of  God,"  &c.  This  has  the  advantage  of 
reference  to  the  context  ;  but  the  meaning  here  given  to  the 
preposition  ^V  is  unusual,  and  the  first  clause  does  not  afford 
a  good  reason  for  the  second.  If  the  hand  refer  to  Araalek 
(Kalisch),  the  sentence  runs  thus,  "  because  his  (Amalek's) 
hand  was  against  the  throne  of  Yah  (the  kingdom  of  God, 
which  includes  his  people),  &c."  The  meaning  is  here  sim- 
ple and  easy  ;  the  connexion  with  what  goes  before  is  sufii- 
ciently  plain  ;  and  the  reason  assigned  for  pei-petual  war  until 
Amalek  be  extirpated  is  intelligible  and  suitable. 


CHAP.    XVIII.    JETHRO. 

2.  cn'ipti'  dismissal. 

4.  ^rr^x  Eliezer,  God-help. 

6.  ''?^5.  The  Sam.  Sept.  and  Syr.  have  nan.  The  sentence 
then  runs,  "  And  one  said  unto  Moses,  Behold,"  &c. 

1 8,  ^nb'V  an  old  form  equal  to  inc'^. 

26.  'i^^^^\  an  unusual  form  and  pointing  for  itiStp^.  It 
seems  to  arise  from  the  proximity  of  a  pause  falling  on  a 
very  short  word. 

And  Jetliro,  the  priest  of  Midian,  Moses'  father-in-law,  heard  all 
that  God  had  done  for  Moses,  and  for  Israel  his  people ;  for  the 
Lord  had  brought  Israel  out  of  Mizraim.  2  And  Jethro,  Moses' 
father-in-laAv,  took  Zipporah,  Moses'  wife,  after  he  had  sent  her  back : 
3  And  her  two  sons,  of  whom  the  name  of  the  one  was  Gershom  ; 
for  he  said,  I  have  become  a  stranger  in  a  foreign  land ;  4  And  the 
name  of  the  other  Eliezer ;  for  the  God  of  my  father  Avas  my  help, 
and  delivered  me  from  the  sword  of  Pharoh.     5  And  Jethro,  Moses' 


EXODUS  XVIIT.  17  9 

father-in-law,  and  his  sons  and  his  wife  came  unto  Moses  into  the 
wilderness  where  ho  encamped  at  tlic  Mount  of  God.  6  And  ho  said 
iinto  Mosps,  I  thy  father-in-law  Jethro  come  unto  thee,  and  tliy  wife, 
and  her  two  sons  with  her.  7  And  Afoses  cam(!  out  to  meet  liis 
father-in-law,  and  bowed  himself,  and  kissed  him,  and  they  asked  each, 
other  of  their  welfare  :  and  they  went  into  the  tent.  8  And  Moses 
told  his  father-in-law  all  that  the  Lord  had  donts  unto  Pliaroh  and 
to  Mizraim  for  the  sake  of  Israel,  all  the  travail  that  had  come  upon 
them  by  the  way,  and  how  the  Lord  delivered  them.  9  And  Jethro 
rejoiced  over  all  the  good  which  the  Lord  had  done  to  Israel,  whom 
he  had  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  Mizraim.  10  And  Jethro  said, 
Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  hath  delivered  you  out  of  the  hand  of  Miz- 
raim, and  out  of  the  hand  of  Pharoh  ;  who  liuth  delivered  the  people 
from  under  the  hand  of  Mizraim.  11  Now  I  know  that  the  Lord  is 
greater  then  all  the  gods,  for  he  has  prevailed  in  the  thing  wherein 
they  dealt  proudly  with  them.  12  And  Jethro,  !Moses'  fither-in-law 
took  a  burnt-offering  and  sacrifices  for  God :  and  Aaron  went,  and  all 
the  elders  of  Israel,  to  eat  bread  with  Moscvs'  iather-in-law  before  God. 
13  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses  sat  to  judge  the 
people  :  and  the  people  stood  by  JMoses  from  the  morning  unto  the 
evening.  14  And  Moses'  father-in-law  saw  all  that  he  did  to  the 
people,  and  he  said,  What  is  this  thing  that  thou  doest  to  the  people? 
"Why  sittest  thou  thyself  alone,  and  all  the  people  stand  by  thee  from 
morning  unto  evening  1  And  Moses  said  unto  his  father-in-law, 
liecause  the  people  come  unto  me  to  inquire  of  God.  IG  When  they 
have  a  matter  they  come  unto  me,  and  I  judge  between  one  and 
another,  and  I  make  known  the  statutes  of  God  and  his  laws.  17 
And  Moses'  father-in-law  said  unto  him.  The  thing  that  thou  doest  is 
nut  good.  18  Thou  wilt  surely  wear  away,  thou  and  this  people 
that  is  with  thee  :  for  this  thing  is  too  heavy  for  thee  ;  thou  canst 
not  do  it  thyself  alone.  19  Now  hearken  to  my  voice,  I  will  advise 
thee,  and  God  shall  be  with  thee  ;  be  thou  for  the  people  before  God, 
and  bring  thou  the  causes  unto  God,  20  And  thou  shalt  teach  them 
the  statutes  and  the  laws,  and  show  them  the  way  wherein  they  must 
walk,  and  the  work  that  they  must  do.  21  And  thou  shalt  provide 
out  of  all  the  people,  able  men,  fearing  God,  men  of  truth,  hating 
cuveteousuess,  and  place  over  them  rulers  of  thousands,  rulers  of 
hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and  rulers  of  tens.  22  And  they  shall 
judge  the  people  at  all  times  ;  and  it  shall  be  that  every  great  matter 
they  shall  bring  to  thee,  and  every  small  matter  they  shall  judge  them- 
selves :  and  thou  shalt  relieve  thyself,  and  they  shall  bear  with  thee. 
23  If  thou  do  this  thing  and  God  command  thee,  then  thou  shalt  be 
able  to  endure,  and  also  all  this  people  shall  go  to  their  place  in 


180  JETHRO'S  VISIT  TO  MOSES. 

peace.  24  And  Moses  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  his  father-in-law, 
and  did  all  that  he  had  said.  25  And  Moses  chose  able  men  out  of 
all  Israel,  and  made  them  heads  over  the  people,  rulers  of  thousands, 
rulers  of  hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and  rulers  of  tens.  26  And  they 
were  to  judge  the  people  at  all  times;  the  hard  cause  they  were 
to  bring  to  Moses,  and  every  small  matter  to  judge  themselves.  27 
And  Moses  let  his  father-in-law  depart,  and  he  went  his  way  unto 
his  own  place.  1[  31. 

Moses  had  formerly  led  the  flock  of  Jethro  as  far  as  "the 
mount  of  God  in  Horeb."  As  soon  as  he  arrives  at  this  point, 
therefore,  he  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jethro,  who  accord- 
ingly pays  him  a  visit,  accompanied  by  Zipporah  and  her 
two  sons.  The  chapter  contains  the  reception  of  Jethro,  and 
the  advice  he  tenders  to  his  son-in-law  concerning'  tlie  frovern- 
ment  of  the  people.  It  is  probable,  as  we  shall  see  (v.  5), 
that  this  visit  took  place  after  the  assembly  had  encamped 
before  the  mount.  The  record  of  this  collateral  occuiTence  is 
placed  here  at  a  convenient  pause,  that  it  may  not  interfere 
with  the  main  current  of  the  narrative,  (see  on  "'p^^'5  Gen.  i.  3). 

V.  I -1 2.  The  arrival  of  Jethro.  Heard  all.  The  spread 
of  intelligence  is  much  more  rapid  among  nomadic  tribes 
than  in  a  settled  population.  v.  2.  Took  Zrpporah.  He 
received  her  when  she  returned  from  Moses  ;  but  now  he 
takes  her  to  bring  her  back  to  him.  After  he  had  sent  her 
hack,  ^^^p^.  '^This  word  occurs  twice  elsewhere  (1  Kings  ix.  1 G ; 
Micah  i.  14).  In  the  former  passage  it  denotes  a  present  to 
a  daughter  sent  away  in  marriage.  In  the  latter  it  denotes  a 
figurative  dismissal.  It  is  here  applied  to  the  dismissal  of 
his  wife  and  children,  most  probably  when  the  youngest 
child  was  circumcised  on  the  way  to  Egypt,  and  was  there- 
fore unable  to  proceed  (see  on  iv.  2G).  v.  3,  4.  Gershom, 
(see  on  ii.  22).  Eliezer.  This  is  the  second  son  indicated  in 
iv.  20,  24.  "'"}ty3  in  or  for  my  help.  Moses  had  a  grateful 
remembrance  of  his  deliverance  from  the  sword  of  Pharoh. 
V.  5,  G.  Encamped  at  the  mount  of  God.  "  The  mount  of 
God  "  is  that  mount  in  Horeb  on  which  the  law  was  delivered. 
This  we  take  to  be  an  indication  that  Moses  had  left  Rephi- 
dim,  and  was  now  encamping  C^Jn)  within  sight  of  Sinai. 
Hence  the  visit  of  Jethro  takes  place  after  the  arrival  of  the 


EXODUS  XVIII.  7-12.  181 

people  at  tlie  wilderness  of  Sinai,  (see  on  xix.  1).  And  he 
said  unto  Moses,  by  a  messenger  in  advance.  This  is  a 
frequent  expansion  of  the  meaning  attached  to  this  phrase 
(xii.  3,  21). 

V.  7-12.   The  reception  of  Jcthro.      Moses  came  outtooneet. 
He  pays  all  honour  to  Jethro  as  his  father-in-law,  and  as  the 
priest  of  Midian.      He  natuially  rehearses  to  him  the  wonders 
of  the  short   period  during  which   they  had  been   separated. 
V.   9-11.  Jethro  gives  expression  to  the  joy  he  felt  in  the 
deliverance  of  Israel.      Blessed  he  the  Lord.      Jethro  here  ex- 
plicitly acknowledges  Jehovah   as  God.      He   was  no  doubt 
acquaijited  by  the  tradition  of  his  Hebrew  ftithers  with  the 
being  and   the  mercy  of  God,  and  he  might  have  learned   the 
significant  name  Jehovah  from  Moses,  if  not  before.   Tlie  Lord 
is  greater  than  all  the  gods.     A  man  in  Jethro's  position  could 
not  be  ignorant  of  the  polytheism  that  had  now  resulted  from 
the  division  of  human  interests  and  opinion.s.      Yet  his  spon- 
taneous confession  may  convey  simply  the  conviction  of  the 
infinite  pre-eminence  of  Jehovah.      For  he  has  prevailed,  or 
showed  himself  greater,  in  the  very  thing  in  which  the  Egyp- 
tians dealt  proudly  with  the  Israelites.      The  authorised  ver- 
sion  gives  precisely  the  same  sense,  though  with  a  different 
application,  of  the  word  ^!}yV.     v.  1  2.  Jethro  gives  a  prac- 
tical exhibition  of  his  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  by  offer- 
ing sacrifice.      The  burnt-offering  is  the  com])letest  symbol  of 
the   atonement  for  sin   (Gen.  viii.   20).      The  sacrifice  being 
eaten  partly  by  the  woi-shipper  expresses  communion   with 
God  as  the  result  of  atonement.     The  common  participation 
before  God  of  the  sacrifice  is  the  emblem  of  the  communion 
of  the  worshippers  in  the  blessings  of  the  divine  ftvvour. 

V.  1.3-27.  The  counsel  of  Jethro  concerning  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice.  On  the  morrow.  The  day  after  the  sacri- 
fice, which  was  offered  on  the  day  of  or  the  day  after  Jethro's 
arrival.  Moses  sat.  Sitting  is  the  posture  of  the  judge, 
standing  that  of  those  who  come  to  receive  judgment.  From 
the  moriiiiKj  unto  the  cvenhuj.  During  the  whole  of  that 
part  of  the  day  assigned  to  public  business,  v.  14-16.  Mo.ses 
explains  to  Jethro  the  necessity  of  this  ccmstiint  sitting.  To 
enquire  of  God,  is  to  come  to  his  minister  or  rcprosontative 
to  obtain  an  answer  to  any  enquiry  which  is  beyond  human 


182  JETHRO'S  VISIT  TO  MOSES. 

solution.  In  the  present  ease  the  object  of  the  enquiry  is  a 
judicial  decision  in  a  dispute  between  man  and  man.  In  a 
theocracy  this  proceeds  fi-om  God  through  his  ministers. 
Hence  to  appeal  to  them  is  virtually  to  appeal  to  God  (xxi.  6). 
And  I  onake  knoivn.  This  was  a  process  of  instruction  espe- 
cially necessary  for  a  new  nation  for  which  a  code  of  juris- 
prudence had  not  yet  been  provided.  At  the  same  time  it 
was  not  possible  for  one  person  to  instil  the  principles  of  law 
into  the  hearts  of  all  the  people,  much  less  to  administer  jus- 
tice iso  a  community  of  at  least  1,600,000  individuals.  The 
statutes  of  God  and  his  laius  (xii.  24,  49),  his  occasional 
decisions  and  edicts,  and  his  general  laws  and  principles  of 
rectitude. 

V.  17-28.  The  plan  suggested  by  Jethro.  He  disapproves 
of  the  present  practice  of  Moses  as  too  laborious  and  tedious. 
Thou  wilt  surely  wear  aivay.  The  causes  that  will  arise 
among  the  people  will  occupy  all  thy  time  to  the  exclusion  of 
needful  leisure  for  recreation  and  for  other  duties.  And  the 
people  that  is  with  thee.  They  will  be  wearied  in  waiting  for 
the  decision  of  their  litigations  which  will  be  delayed  in  con- 
sequence of  thy  inability  to  determine  them  as  fast  as  they 
arise.  And  this  delay  may  tempt  them  to  take  the  law  into 
their  own  hands,  and  so  anarchy  and  outrage  may  pave  the 
way  for  their  gradual  annihilation,  27iou  canst  not  do  it  thy- 
self alone.  Hence  a  division  of  the  labour  is  necessary,  that 
it  may  be  done  promptly  and  efficiently,  v.  19,  20.  And  God 
shall  be  ivith  thee,  approving  of  thy  course,  and  aiding  thee  in 
its  execution.  Jethro  means  that  he  should  not  proceed  with- 
out the  divine  concurrence.  Be  thou  for  the  people  before 
God,  between  God  and  the  people,  to  represent  him  to  them, 
and  their  causes  to  him.  Thou  shalt  teach  them,,  expound  the 
regulations  and  principles  of  civil  and  religious  law.  The  ivay, 
the  moral  principle  of  their  conduct.  TJie  ivork,  the  conduct 
which  they  are  to  pursue  in  the  way  which  the  law  directs. 
Moses  is  thus  to  be,  under  God,  the  great  teacher  of  the  people, 
the  promulgator  of  law,  and  the  director  of  its  administration, 
V.  21,  22.  Provide  out  of,  look  out  among  you.  This  was 
done  by  the  people  themselves  proposing  men  to  be  approved 
and  appointed  by  Moses,  as  he  himself  explains  (Deut,  i,  1  3, 
1 5),  "  Give  ye  wise  men,  and  understanding,  and  known  among 


EXODUS  XVIII.  13-27.  183 

your  tribes,  and  I  icill  make  them  rulern  over  you!'  "  And 
1  took,"  accepted  at  the  hand  of  the  people.  Able  men,  hav- 
ing the  requisite  abilities  for  the  olhce.  This  is  the  first 
qualification.  Fearuu)  God,  men  of  piety.  Men  of  truth, 
whose  word  may  be  trusted.  Hating  covdoasness,  that  will 
not  therefore  be  bribed  to  pronounce  unjust  decisions.  An 
admirable  clioice  and  order  of  ([ualifications.  Rulers  of  thou- 
sands. It  has  been  calculated  by  the  Tahnudists  and  even 
by  Grotius  that  according  to  this  arrangement  78,C00  judges 
would  be  required  for  000,000  men.  But  we  cannot  suppose 
that  the  patriarchal  rule,  which  is  a  law  of  nature,  was  to  be 
superseded  by  this  regulation.  A  father  was  still  to  be 
acknowlede;ed  as  the  fjoverninj'  head  of  his  descendants  durinfj 
liis  life,  especially  when  they  dwelt  with  him  in  the  same 
house  or  tent.  And  he  is  the  unit  intended  in  the  thousands, 
hundreds,  fifties,  and  tens  here  mentioned.  Thus  in  Joshua 
vii.  lU-24;  we  find  Israel  divided  into  tribes,  the  tribe  of 
Judah  into  clans  (nins'J'O),  the  clan  of  Zarhi  into  m,en  (°^?93), 
individuals  or  units,  of  whom  Achan  was  one.  But  Achan 
has  sons  and  daughters  and  a  tent,  and  is  therefore  the  father 
of  a  house.  Such  a  house,  including  children,  might  contain 
from  five  to  fifty  individuals.  We  may  take  twenty  as  a 
reasonable  average  of  a  grandfather's  family.  Ten  such  fami- 
lies would  in  that  case  amount  to  200  individuals,  and  ten 
such  heads  are  the  smallest  number  allowed  by  the  Talmud  ists 
to  constitute  a  synagogue.  In  a  people  of  at  least  1,000,000 
there  would  thus  be  8000  rulers  of  tens,  1000  rulers  of  fifties, 
800  rulers  of  hundreds,  and  80  rulers  of  thousands,  and 
therefore  10,480  rulers  in  all.  The  number  of  appeals  from 
rulers  of  tens  would  be  ])roportionately  greater  than  from  the 
higher  judges,  because  they  were  not  much  in  rank  above  the 
fathers  of  houses ;  and  hence  the  rulers  of  fifties  seem  to  be 
introduced  to  distribute  the  burden  which  would  otherwise 
fall  on  the  rulers  of  hundreds.  Every  great  matter  would 
come  up  to  Moses  either  by  appeal,  where  the  parties  were 
dissatisfied  with  the  judgment  of  the  inferior  courts,  or  by 
reference,  when  these  courts  were  deterred  from  judging  by  the 
difiiculty  of  the  cause.  The  latter  is  the  mode  expressly  recog- 
nised in  the  text,  and  was  probably,  in  the  custom  of  the  people, 
inclusive  of  the  former.     A  nd  God  command  thee.     Jethro 


184  JETHRO'S  VISIT  TO  MOSES. 

submits  his  proposal  to  the  decision  of  God.  Oo  to  their  place 
in  peace.  Prompt  and  impartial  administration  of  justice  will 
allay  quarrels  and  beget  that  mutual  confidence  and  good  feel- 
ing which  tends  to  peace.  Jethro  presents  his  modest  pro- 
posal as  a  temporary  expedient,  until  the  people  sliould  arrive 
in  a  country  where  they  might  have  settled  institutions. 

V.  24-26.  And  Moses  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  his  father- 
in-laiv.  This  sentence  throws  light  on  the  ways  of  Provi- 
dence and  on  the  character  of  Moses.  The  practical  mind  of 
Jethro,  on  the  first  glance  at  a  great  evil,  is  prompted  to  sug- 
gest an  immediate  remedy.  Moses,  on  the  other  hand,  being 
a  man  of  a  more  educated  mind  and  more  deferential  spirit, 
and  aware  that  this  evil  has  only  lasted  for  a  month  or  two, 
and  will  very  soon  be  removed  by  the  promulgation  of  a  com- 
plete code  of  laws,  waits  in  reverential  pa.tience,  as  is  his 
wont,  for  the  intimation  of  heaven  to  initiate  the  needed 
change.  But  the  suggestion  of  Jethro  he  receives  with  that 
respectful  attention  which  was  then  paid  to  age,  acknowledges 
to  be  agreeable  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  reason,  and  accepts 
as  the  mode  presented  in  the  dispensation  of  Providence  for 
tlie  removal  of  the  present  difficulty.  The  method  of  the  pro- 
vidence of  God,  is  evidentl}^  out  of  the  given  emergency  to 
elicit  the  required  measure,  either  by  an  immediate  communi- 
cation from  heaven,  or  by  a  suggestion  of  human  reason 
adequate  to  the  occasion,  and  approved  by  God.  Neither  the 
disposition  nor  the  past  training  of  Moses  inclined  him  to 
step  before  the  Almighty  in  devising  a  remedy  for  ordinary 
difficulties ;  and  even  this  meekness  was  no  small  qualifica- 
tion for  his  high  office,  v.  25.  And  Moses  chose.  By  a 
common  figure  he  is  said  to  do  that  which  he  caused  to  be 
done.     The  people  chose  at  Moses'  direction. 

V.  27.  And  Moses  let  his  father-in-law  depart  The 
sacred  writer,  as  usual,  brings  one  line  of  events  to  a  close 
before  passing  to  another.  We  are  not  bound,  therefore,  to 
conclude  that  Moses  completed  the  introduction  of  his  new 
measures  for  the  administration  of  justice,  and  parted  with  his 
father-in-law  before  the  series  of  events  recorded  in  the  follow- 
ing chapters  had  commenced.  So  far  as  the  form  of  the  nar- 
rative goes,  we  are  at  liberty  to  suppose  that  the  interview 
with  Jethro  took  place  any  time  during  the  encampment  at 


EXODUS  XVIII.  27.  185 

the  "mount  of  God."  The  parallel  passage  (Deut.  i.  9-18) 
referring  to  tlie  institution  of  civil  magistrates,  dates  this 
measure  with  precisely  the  same  latitude.  On  the  other 
hand,  we  are  not  constrained  to  suppose  these  proceedings 
untinished,  if  the  time  suffice  for  their  accomplishment.  Now 
the  assembled  host  arrived  at  the  wilderness  of  Sin  on  the 
1  5th  of  the  second  month.  If  this  was  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  the  whole  of  this  week  was  spent  at  the  three  sta- 
tions in  this  wilderness,  eight  days  would  remain  for  the 
journey  to  llephidim,  the  smiting  of  the  rock  in  Horeb,  and  the 
battle  with  Anialek.  It  appears  from  the  following  chapter 
that  the  journey  to  the  wilderness  of  Sinai  took  i)lace  on  the 
first  of  the  third  month.  It  is  possible  that  the  interview 
with  Jethro,  and  the  tendering  of  his  counsel,  may  have  taken 
place  on  the  second  and  third,  and  the  carrying  of  this  })ro- 
posal  into  effect  on  the  fourth  and  fifth.  And  it  seems  reason- 
able that  Moses  should  be  at  once  relieved  of  the  burden  of 
personally  hearing  and  deciding  upon  every  case  of  litigation 
that  might  arise  among  the  people.  Jethro,  however,  may 
have  taken  leave  for  a  time  on  the  third  day.  It  is  most 
probable  that,  during  the  eleven  months  and  twenty  days  of 
the  sojourn  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  there  were 
frequent  interviews  between  Moses  and  his  relatives  by  mar- 
riage, as  they  were  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  The 
passage  in  Numbers  x.  29-32,  however,  refers  to  the  farewell 
and  final  parting  between  them,  when  the  marshalled  host  set 
out  for  the  wilderness  of  Paran  on  their  wa}'  to  the  promised 
laud. 


SECTION  IV.— THE  LAWGIVING. 

XI.    THE    MORAL    LAW. EXODUS    XIX.,    XX. 

CHAP.  XIX.    PREPARATION  FOR  LAWGIVING. 

1 3.  P^''  The  hloivev,  horn,  cornet,  r.  flow,  blow,  go.  It 
is  equal  to  ^?'n  HP.  the  horn  of  blowing  or  sounding,  and 
"iS'ib'  cornet.  It  differs  from  '^'J^'^'^  ^^^  straight  trumpet.  It 
is  probable  that  it  was  originally  a  ram's  horn.  The  Rabbins 
and  others  affirm  that  ''?*'  signifies  a  ram.  In  Phoenician  in- 
scriptions it  is  said  to  have  this  meaning. 

In  the  third  month  of  the  departure  of  the  sons  of  Israel  from  the 
land  of  Mizraim,  on  this  day  were  they  come  to  the  wilderness  of 
Sinai.  2  And  they  set  out  from  Eepliidim  and  went  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Sinai,  and  pitched  in  the  wilderness  :  and  there  Israel  pitched 
before  the  mountain. 

3  And  Moses  went  up  unto  God,  and  the  Lord  called  unto  him 
out  of  the  mountain,  saying.  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of 
Jacob,  and  tell  the  sons  of  Israel.  4  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did 
unto  Mizraim,  and  how  I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought 
you  unto  me.  5  And  now  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,  and  keep 
my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  unto  me  above  all 
the  peoples  :  for  all  the  earth  is  mine.  6  And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a 
kingdom  of  priests,  and  a  holy  nation.  These  are  the  words  which 
thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  sons  of  Israel.  7  And  Moses  went  and 
called  for  the  elders  of  the  people,  and  laid  before  them  all  these  words 
which  the  Lord  commanded  him.  8  And  all  the  people  answered 
together  and  said,  All  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  we  will  do.  And 
Moses  returned  the  words  of  the  people  unto  the  Lord.  9  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Lo,  I  come  unto  thee  in  the  thick  cloud,  that 
the  people  may  hear  when  I  speak  with  thee,  and  so  believe  thee  for 
ever.  And  Moses  told  the  words  of  the  people  unto  the  Lord.  10 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  imto  the  people,  and  sanctify  tliem 


EXODUS  XIX. 


187 


to-day  an<l  to-morrow,  ami  lot  tliom  wash  their  clothes.  11  And  ho 
ready  for  the  third  day  ;  for  on  the,  third  day  the,  Lor.l  will  conio 
down  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people  upon  Mount  Sinai.  12  And  tlmu 
shalt  set  bound.s  to  tlio  people  round  about,  saying,  IJeware  ye  of  going 
up  to  the  mount,  or  touching  the  honler  of  it :  whosoever  toucheth 
the  mount  shall  be  surely  put  to  death.  13  There  shall  not  a  hand 
touch  him,  but  he  shall  be  surely  stoned  or  shot  through  ;  whether 
beast  or  man  it  shall  not  live  :  when  the  trumpet  soundeth  long,  they 
shall  go  up  to  the  mount.  U  And  Moses  went  down  from  the  mount 
unto  the  people  :  and  he  sauctilied  the  people,  and  they  washed  their 
clothes.  15  And  he  said  unto  the  people,  Be  ye  ready  for  the  third 
day  :  come  not  at  your  wives. 

IG  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  in  the  morning,  that  there 
were  thunders  and  lightnings,  and  a  thick  cloud  upon  the  mount,  and 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet  very  loud  ;  and  all  the  people  that  were  iu 
the  camp  trembled.  17  And  Moses  brought  forth  the  people  froni  tho 
camp  to  meet  with  God  ;  and  they  stood  at  the  nether  part  of  the 
mount.  18  And  Mount  Sinai  was  all  asmoke,  because  the  Lord  came 
down  upon  it  in  fire  :  and  the  smoke  thereof  went  up  as  the  smoke  of 
a  furnace,  and  the  whole  mount  trembled  greatly.  ID  And  when  the 
sound  of  the  trumpet  waxed  louder  and  louder,  Moses  spake  and  God 
answered  him  by  a  voice.  20  And  the  Loud  came  down  upon  :Mount 
Sinai,  on  the  top  of  the  mount :  and  the  Lord  called  Moses  to  the  top 
of  the  mount,  and  Moses  went  up.  21  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  Go  down,  charge  the  people,  lest  they  break  through  unto  tho 
Lord  to  gaze,  and  many  of  them  perish.  22  And  let  the  priests  also, 
who  come  Hear  to  the  Lord,  sanctify  themselves,  lest  the  Lord  break 
forth  upon  them.  23  And  Moses  said  unto  tho  Lord,  The  people 
cannot  come  up  to  Mount  Sinai :  for  thou  hast  charged  us,  saying,  Set 
bounds  about  the  mount,  and  sanctify  it.  24  And  the  Lord  said 
unto  him.  Go,  get  thee  down,  and  thou  shalt  come  up,  thou  and  Aaron 
with  thee  :  but  let  not  the  priests  or  the  people  break  through  to  come 
up  unto  the  Lord,  lest  He  break  forth  upon  them.  25  And  Moses 
went  down  unto  the  people,  and  spake  unto  them.  §  20. 

The  exodus  from  Egypt  is  now  past.  That  great  event 
includes  two  concurring  elements  in  the  moral  history  of  tlio 
people — redemption  and  renovation.  Tliey  are  redeemed 
from  the  bondage  of  Egypt ;  they  are  renovated  in  their  feel- 
ing of  allegiance  to  Jehovah,  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth. 
Their  redemption  appears  in  their  deliverance  from  the 
plagues  of  Egypt,  from  the  power  of  Egypt  iu  the  passage 


188  ISRAEL  ARRIVES  AT  SINAI. 

of  the  Red  Sea,  and  from  drought  and  famine  in  the  miracu- 
lous  supplies  of  manna,  quails,  and  water,  with  which  they 
have  been  favoured  in  the  wilderness.  Their  renovation  of 
conscience  and  will  is  discovered  in  their  faith  in  Moses  as 
the  attested  minister  of  heaven,  their  unanimous  observance 
of  the  significant  solemnity  of  the  passover,  and  in  their  ready 
and  thankful  departure  from  Egypt  at  the  instance  of  the 
Lord,  who  had  guaranteed  their  deliverance.  After  the  new 
birth  comes  new  obedience  to  heaven's  eternal  law.  The 
co-existence,  however,  of  the  old  nature  with  the  new  princi- 
ple of  spiritual  life  in  the  heart  of  the  nation,  renders  the  pro- 
mulgation of  law  necessary  as  well  as  seasonable.  It  is  sea- 
sonable precisely  when  power  to  comply  with  it  has  been 
engendered  in  the  soul.  And  it  is  necessary  because  the  in- 
fant will  and  the  awakened  conscience  need  to  be  enlightened 
and  guided  by  a  code  of  laws  in  checking  and  rooting  out  the 
old  habits  of  sin  which  have  blinded  the  eyes,  warped  the 
original  bent,  and  marred  the  moral  beauty  of  the  soul. 
Hence  the  legislation  comes  in  the  train  of  the  redemption 
and  spiritual  renewal  of  the  nation.  Hence  the  law  is  a  doc- 
trine (^'^y^)  for  the  information  of  the  conscience  and  the 
training  of  the  will.  Hence  it  consists  mainly  of  prohibitions 
for  the  repression  of  those  habitual  tendencies  which  linger  in 
the  renovated  soul  from  the  evil  bias  of  the  past. 

The  lawgiving  is  accordingly  a  step  in  advance  of  the 
exodus.  It  is  an  end  to  which  the  exodus  is  the  means.  It 
stands  forth,  therefore,  as  the  second  prominent  theme  in  the 
book  before  us.  Like  the  exodus,  it  occupies  six  chapters,  of 
which  the  first  is  a  preface  and  the  last  a  conclusion.  In  the 
preparatory  chapter  we  have  the  arrival  of  the  people  at 
Mount  Sinai,  the  directions  for  the  purifying  of  the  people, 
and  the  description  of  Mount  Sinai  when  the  Lord  descended 
upon  it. 

V.  1,  2.  The  arrival  at  the  place  where  the  law  was  to  be 
given.  In  the  third  month.  As  the  term  here  employed  de- 
notes the  new  month,  and  a  precise  day,  "  on  this  day,"  is 
indicated,  we  may  safely  conclude  that  the  first  day  of  the 
month  is  intended.  It  is  therefore  now  a  month  and  a  half 
since  they  left  Egypt.  Were  they  come  to.  This  expression 
indicates  that  the  events  of  the  preceding  chapter  reached  to 


EXODUS  XIX.  1,2.  189 

a  point  of  time  beyond  tliat  which  is  now  taken  up  as  the 
main  narrative.  (See  on  Gen.  p.  23,  S-t,  39).  It  is  intended 
at  the  same  time  to  date  empliatically  the  day  of  their  arrival. 
In  the  next  verse  the  consecutive  order  of  the  narrative  pio- 
ceeds. 

Sinai.  From  tlie  usage  of  Scripture,  and  especially  of 
these  chapters,  it  is  plain  that  Sinai  denotes  a  particular  moun- 
tain, while  Horeb  denotes  a  block  or  range  of  mountains,  with 
their  intervening  wadys,  coinciding  in  a  great  measure  with 
Jebel  et  Tur.  This  granite  mass  includes  the  wadys  es  Sheik, 
er  Rahah,  and  es  Sebayeh,  with  all  their  lesser  outlets.  The 
wilderness  of  Sinai  seems  to  be  the  plains  and  wadys  in  its 
immediate  neighbourhood,  where  cattle  might  browse  or  men 
encamp.  We  take  Sinai  to  be  that  detached  mass  of  which 
Jebel  Musa  is  the  highest  point,  and  Ras  Suf^afeh  is  the  peak 
that  rises  almost  perpendicularly  over  the  Wady  er  Rahah,  for 
the  following  among  other  reasons  :  1.  Josephus  (Ant.  iii.  5,  1) 
says  it  is  the  highest  of  all  the  mountains  in  that  country. 
Now  Serbal,  which  Lepsius  takes  to  be  the  scene  of  the  law- 
giving, is  only  C7G0  feet  high  (Stanley,  Map  of  Elevations  in 
Sinai  and  Palestine),  while  the  cluster  to  which  Sinai  belongs 
is  about  9000  feet  high.  Jebel  Musa,  in  particular,  rises  to 
75 CO  feet.  2.  There  are  the  wadys  er  Rahah,  es  Sheik, 
and  according  to  Laborde  (Comment,  p.  1  08)  and  F.  A  Strauss 
(Sinai,  p.  134)  es  Sebayeh,  in  the  vicinity  of  Jebel  Musa, 
which  are  am])ly  sufficient  for  the  encampment  of  a  large  host. 
Robinson  (Biljl.  Res,,  i.,  p.  140)  measured  across  the  water- 
shed of  er  Rahah  and  found  it  to  be  900  yards,  while  the 
distance  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  2333  yards.  The 
northern  slope  of  the  plain  he  judged  to  be  somewhat  less 
than  a  mile  in  length,  by  one-third  of  a  mile  in  Breadth.  Tlie 
whole  plain  he  estimates  at  two  miles  long,  and  from  a  third 
to  two-thirds  of  a  mile  broad.  "  This  space  is  nearly  doubled 
by  the  recess  to  the  west  and  the  wady  es  Sheik."  Here, 
then,  is  an  o])en  space  of  about  two  square  miles.  Of  the 
plain  es  Sebayeh  Strauss  reports  that  the  side,  on  which  the 
Wady  es  Sebayeh  enters  the  plain,  is  1400  feet  in  breadth, 
and  at  the  south-western  foot  of  the  mountain  1800  feet; 
that  the  latter  is  the  breadth  at  its  central  part,  and  its  length 
from  east  to  west  is  12,000  feet ;  and  that  towards  the  south 


190  ISRAEL  ARRIVES  AT  SINAI. 

it  rises  very  gradually,  and  even  the  mountains  which  bound 
it  on  the  south  have  a  gentle  slope.  This  plain  is  therefore 
about  a  square  mile  in  area.  It  is  acknowledged  that  there 
are  no  such  open  spaces  in  the  vicinity  of  Serbal.  8.  The 
way  to  Jebel  Musa  is  much  more  open  for  a  large  host  than 
that  to  or  from  Serbal.  4.  The  stations  before  and  after  the 
former  can  be  more  readily  accounted  for  than  before  and  after 
the  latter.  On  this  point  we  can  only  refer  to  Eobinson. 
5.  The  tradition  is  in  favour  of  Jebel  Musa.  This  is  unques- 
tioned up  to  the  time  of  Justinian,  who  founded  a  church  on 
one  of  the  wadys  of  Sinai  in  527  B.C.  according  to  Procopius. 
Before  this  period,  however,  it  is  contended  by  Lepsius  and 
others  that  the  tradition  was  in  favour  of  Mount  Serbal,  on 
the  supposed  authority  of  Eusebius,  Jerome,  and  Cosmas 
Indicopleustes.  But  Eusebius,  according  to  the  rendering  of 
Jerome  (De  situ  et  nom.  Hebr.)  thus  describes  Horeb — Choreb 
mons  Dei  in  regione  Madian  juxta  montem  Sina  super 
Arabiam  in  deserto  (cui  jungitur  mons  et  desertum  Saracen- 
orum,  quod  vocatur  Paran.  Mihi  autem  videtur,  quod  duplici 
nomine  idem  mons  nunc  Sinai  nunc  Choreb  vocetur).  From 
this  passage  it  is  evident  that  Eusebius  places  Horeb  in 
Midian,  while  Serbal  belonged  to  Amalek,  or  at  least  not  to 
Midian.  And  Jerome  regards  Paran  the  mountain  of  the 
Saracens,  or,  as  he  explains,  the  Ishmaelites,  as  adjoining  the 
desert  in  which  Horeb  was  situated.  Now  mount  Paran  is  in 
Jerome's  estimation  either  Serbal,  or  it  is  not.  If  it  be,  then  Sinai 
and  Horeb  are  different  from  it.  If  it  be  not,  then  Eusebius 
and  Jerome  say  nothing  whatever  of  Serbal.  These  authors 
(on  Faran)  also  report  that  the  children  of  Israel  marched 
through  Paran  when  they  left  Sinai,  and  that  Pharan  is  three 
days'  journey  from  Ailah  or  Elath.  Serbal,  therefore,  if  it 
were  Paran,  could  not  be  identical  with  Sinai.  But  it  cannot 
be  the  same  with  Paran,  as  it  is  about  75  miles  from  Ailah, 
which  would  be  at  least  four  days'  journey.  They  also  record 
(Raphidim)  that  Kephidira  is  beside  Horeb,  and  near  Paran ; 
a  statement  which,  after  the  preceding  notices,  implies  only 
that  it  lay  between  the  two,  and  by  no  means  that  the  two 
are  identical.  Cosmas  (Topogr.  Christ,  lib.  v.)  writes,  'E/>a 
TuXiv  'xaqivsZaXov  ug  Fa^pidh,  ug  tyiv  vZv  "KiyoiMsviriv  ^apdv.  This 
merely  intimates  that  Rephidim  was  in  the  region  then  called 


EXODUS  XIX.  2.  101 

Pharan.  Hcnco,  he  says,  Moses  proceeds  to  mount  Horeb, 
whicli  is  in  the  Sinaic  (range)  about  six  miles  from  Pharan 
(ili  Xupr,Z  t6  o'ffo$,  Touridriv,  cv  r^  2ivai(fj  iyyxji;  ovri  T^g  <t>aoav  ui  arrh 
(LtVitJiv  i'l).  The  present  ruins  of  the  town  Feiran  are  about 
sixteen  miles  from  Jebel  Musa,  and  about  six  miles  from  the 
nearest  point  of  the  granitic  block  to  which  it  belongs,  while 
it  cannot  proj'ierly  be  said  to  be  any  distance  from  Serbal,  at 
the  foot  of  which  it  lies.  Cosmas  regards  Horeb  as  a  part  of 
the  Sinaic  cluster  of  hills,  and  hence  he  speaks  loosely  of  the 
inscriptions,  which  he  says  are  found  in  all  the  stations  of  the 
IsraAites,  as  existing  in  the  desert  of  the  Sinaic  range  {h  ixti- 
vr,  T/j  igrjfitjj  Tov  livaiox)  opovc  h  rruaaig  xara'xavaicfi).  We  may  here 
observe,  indeed,  that  these  inscriptions  are  found  to  be  due, 
not  to  the  Israelites  or  the  Christians,  but  to  the  inhabitants, 
or  the  pilgrims  of  a  heathen  superstition,  and  therefore  afford 
no  ground  for  determining  the  mount  of  the  law.  (See  Beer, 
Inscr.  Vet.  ;  Credner,  Heidelb.  Jahrb.  1841,  p.  980  ;  Fr.  Tuch, 
Versucheiner  Erklarung  von  21  Sin.  Inschr. ;  Kurtz  on  the 
Covenant,  v.  iii.,  p.  6  J ).  The  fact  then  seems  to  be  that  these 
three  authors  have  been  misunderstood,  and  are  really  in  har- 
mony with  the  general  tradition,  indicated,  even  in  the  name 
Jebel  Musa,  the  mount  of  Moses. 

v.  2.  And  they  set  out  from  Rephidim.  As  the  previous 
verse  looks  back  to  the  events  of  the  foregoing  chapter,  so 
this  veree  looks  forward  to  the  continuance  of  the  narrative 
from  chap.  xvii.  Then  we  were  at  Rephidim,  and  now  we 
depart  from  it.  The  luilderness  of  Sinai  is  a  phrase  com- 
prehensive of  the  mount  of  the  law-giving,  and  the  surround- 
ing desert.  It  seems  to  be  co-extensive  with  Horeb,  the 
central  granitic  block  of  mountain  and  glen  now  called  Jebel 
et  Tur.  Before  the  mountain.  This  expression  signifies 
over  against,  or  within  sight  of  it,  but  not  necessarily  close 
by  or  contiguous  to  the  mountain.  We  may  imagine  the 
main  body  of  the  encampment  to  be  in  the  Wady  es  Sheik, 
and  its  wings  or  straggling  outskirts  in  the  adjacent  glens, 
partly  it  may  be  in  the  plain  es  Sebayeh,  and  generally  with- 
in view  of  some  part  of  Sinai. 

V.  3-15.  The  directions  for  the  preparation  of  the  peoj)la 
And  Moses  ivent  up  unto  God.  The  pillar  of  cloud  now 
rested  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  was  conspicuous  before  the  eyes 


192  ISRAEL  ARRIVES  AT  SINAI. 

of  all  the  people.  The  going  up  of  Moses  unto  God  means, 
not  that  he  ascended  the  mountain,  which  is  not  here  asserted, 
but  that  he  drew  nigh  to  God  in  the  customary  way.  And 
as  the  Lord  now  manifested  himself  on  a  mountain  top, 
the  approach  of  Moses  was  an  ascent,  even  though  he  only 
reached  the  base.  This  interpretation  of  the  words  is  mani- 
fest from  the  following  sentence :  "  And  the  Lord  called  unto 
him  out  of  the  mountain."  This  implies  that  Moses  was  not 
on  the  mountain,  but  at  such  a  distance  from  the  Divine 
presence  as  to  warrant  the  word  "called"  instead  of  "spake." 
V.  3-().  The  words  of  the  Lord  here  contain  a  tendering 
again  of  his  covenant  to  the  people,  for  formal  and  final 
acceptance.  They  indicate,  first,  the  party  who  are  to  enter 
into  covenant  with  God.  The  "  house  of  Jacob "  is  the 
parallel  of  the  "sons  of  Israel,"  the  former,  however,  pointing 
to  their  natural,  the  latter  to  their  spiritual  relations,  (see 
Gen.  xxxii.  23-33),  Secondly,  the  keeping  of  the  covenant 
on  God's  part  is  put  forward  in  a  short  and  striking  appeal  to 
the  people.  Ye  have  seen.  This  was  a  matter  of  personal 
experience  with  them.  What  I  did  iyi  Mizraim.  The 
eleven  manifestations  of  his  power  on  their  behalf  in  that 
country.  And  hoiv  I  bare  you  on  eagles  wings.  In  the 
twelfth  miracle  at  the  Red  Sea,  he  delivered  them  from  the 
perils  of  the  surrounding  waters  and  the  pursuing  Egyptians 
with  as  much  care  as  the  eagle  takes  in  teaching  its  nestlings 
to  make  the  first  essay  in  flight  among  the  beetling  heights 
where  it  has  its  abode  (Deut.  xxxii.  11).  The  parent  bird  it 
is  said  sweeps  gently  past  the  young  ones  perched  on  a  ledge 
of  rock,  and  when  one  venturing  to  follow  begins  to  sink 
with  drooping  wing,  glides  underneath,  and  bears  it  aloft 
again  (Duns,  Bibl.  Nat.  Sci.  II.  46).  This  beautiful  figure 
strikingly  illustrates  the  patient  tenderness  with  which  the 
Lord  laboured  to  train  his  people  for  the  escape  from  Egypt, 
and  guarded  them  from  the  hazards  of  the  way.  And 
brought  you  unto  one.  brought  you  home  to  adoption  and 
inheritance  with  your  God  and  Father,  Thirdly,  the  accept- 
ance of  the  covenant  is  lovingly  proposed  to  the  people.  If 
ye  tvill  obey,  obey  my  voice.  The  repetition  is  emphatic,  "  if 
ye  obey  me  promptly  and  heartily,"  And  keep  my  covenant, 
the  parallel  of  the  previous  clause ;  "  be  faithful  to  me  as  I 


EXODUS  XIX.  3-G.  103 

have  been  to  you"  a  toudiing  appeal  tliat  wins  a  ready  assent 
from  a  true  heart.  Ld^llij,  comes  the  promise  in  new  and 
expressive  terms.  It  contains  the  three  elements  of  salvation, 
appropriation,  propitiation,  and  sanctification.  Here  for  tiie 
first  time  occur  three  remarkal)Ie  phrases,  wliich  become 
household  words  in  the  cliurch.  Tbey  throw  a  new  light  on 
the  privilege  and  responsibility  of  the  believer.  1.  A 
2>e('iill((r  treasure  unto  rue.  To  belong  to  God  is  an  inesti- 
mable blessing.  How  much  more  to  be  his  in  a  special 
sense  above  all  others,  Xah^  ■-rivio-jgio;,  a  peculiar  people  !  For 
all  the  earth  is  mine.  This  is  to  exphiin  the  phrase,  "  above 
all  peoples."  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  belong  to  God 
by  right  of  creation  and  general  benefaction.  But  ye 
belong  to  iiim,  over  and  above  all  this,  by  special  grace  and 
covenant.  And  out  of  his  free  grace  flows  to  you  all  that  is 
comprised  in  remission,  redemption,  and  regeneration.  This 
part  of  the  promise  is  therefore  a  com})rehensive  summary 
of  all  the  blessings  of  salvation.  2.  A  kingdom  of  priests. 
This  is  a  pregnant  sentence.  It  presupposes  the  people  to  be 
themselves  the  objects  of  priestly  intercession  and  royal  pro- 
tection. It  expressly  elevates  them  into  the  dignity  and 
authority  of  performing  priestly  functions,  and  dispensing 
royal  favoui^s  to  others.  "  A  kingdom  of  priests,"  the  Sep- 
tuagint  renders  by  ^aalKnov  ,'iipdTeu/j.a  a  priesthood  of  kings. 
This  is  sufficient  to  shew  that  a  kingdom  was  here  understood 
to  be  a  community  of  persons  invested  with  the  powers  of 
sovereignty,  such  as  commanding,  judging,  defending,  punish- 
ing and  rewarding,  and  bound  to  exercise  them,  under  God, 
for  the  good  of  mankind.  The  benignity  of  their  sway  is 
indicated  by  the  facts  that  they  are  to  be  priests  as  well  as 
kings.  They  find  mankind  under  the  ban  of  disobedience, 
the  doom  of  death.  Their  office  calls  them  to  make  atone- 
ment for  the  sins  of  the  world,  intercede  for  the  returning 
penitent,  and  reconcile  him  to  God.  This  fmiction  of  sublime 
beneficence  involves  questions  of  the  deepest  import  in  the 
salvation  of  mankind,  which  do  not  meet  their  full  solution 
until  we  apj)roach  the  end  of  the  volume  of  ins})iration.  Who 
can  independently  mediate  between  God  and  man  ?  What 
can  be  an  all-sufficient  propitiation  for  sin  ?  We  abstain 
from  anticipating  the  answer  to  these  questions,  which  does 

N 


194  PlIEPAllATION   FOR  THE  LAW  GIVING, 

not  belong  to  tlie  interpreter,  and  is  familiar  to  every  reader 
of  the  New  Testament.    Meanwhile  we  contemplate  with  pro- 
found admiration  the  nation  that  has  a  mission  to  discharge 
these  benign  functions,  and  a  history  pregnant  with  a  great 
kino-,  priest,  and  sacrifice  that  will  be  able  to  accomplish  the 
salvation  of  the  soul.     8.  A  lioly  nation.     Along  with  a  free 
pardon  and   an  all-prevalent  intercession,  the  third  requisite 
for  salvation  is  a  sanctified  nature.     But  this   is    introduced 
here  not  merely  as  an  element  of  their  own  salvation,  but  as 
a  qualification  for  that  high  function  of  reigning  and  reconcil- 
incr  which  they  are  to  exercise  for  tlie  salvation  of  the  world. 
There  is  a  beautiful  unity  given  to  this  ideal  when  we  regard 
Israel  as  the  son,  the  first-born  of  God  (Ex.  iv.  22).     This  son 
is  the   king  and  priest,  the  holy  one  of  the  present  passage. 
This   collective   or  national  Israel  contains  within  its  bosom 
the  individual  and  actual  Son  of  God,  of  which  it  is  the  type 
in  its  regal  and  sacerdotal  dignity,  as  it  is  the  emblem  of  the 
Church  in   its  peace  and   purity.      Thus   God  sets   before  his 
chosen  people  a  new  ideal,  which  is  to  be  represented   for 
their  instruction  in  the  typical  institutions  of  the  ceremonial 
law.     It  is  to  have  a  twofold  realization,  on  the  one  hand  in 
the  grateful  reception  of  salvation  from  age  to  age  by  a  grow- 
ing numlier,  until  at  length  the  whole  of  mankind  are  gathered 
into  this  kingdom  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  in  the  gracious 
dispensing  of  this  salvation  until  the  Messiah  have  come  once 
to  make  atonement  for  sin,  and  again  to   bring  in   the   new 
heavens  and  the  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness. 
These  are  the  words  which  thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  sons  of 
Israel.     These  pregnant  words  ai'e  to  take  root  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  and  bear  fruit  in  all  future  ages, 

V,  7,  8.  The  consent  of  the  people  to  the  covenant  is  warm 
and  prompt;  Moses  ivent  and  called  for  the  elders  of  the 
people.  Here  we  have  the  usual  order  of  communication  with 
the  people.  The  elders  are  the  representatives  of  the  people, 
who  convey  to  them  the  message  of  the  Lord  by  Moses,  and 
act  as  their  spokesmen  in  replying  to  it  (xii,  21).  Aiid  all 
the  people  answered  together.  They  gave  a  unanimous  re- 
sponse. All  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  we  ivill  do.  They 
freely  close  with  the  gracious  terms  of  the  covenant,  Moses 
reports  their  favourable  answer  to  the  Lord. 


EXODUS  XIX.  ,']-15.  ]95 

V.  0-1  3.  The  directions  to  the  i)eoi)le  to  sanctify  themselves, 
and  keo|)  at  a  distance  from  the  mountain.      Lo  1   coma  unto 
Uu-e.     This  is  the  usual  phrase  for  an  intended  action.     In  iJie 
thick  cloud,  in  which  my  presence  is  usually  manifested.    That 
the  people  viay  hear  ichen  I  speak  with  thee.      The  Lord  does 
not  demand  confidence  in  his  messenger  and  minister  without 
irivinj:!  abundant  evidence  of  his  commission.      He  had  before 
given  the  signs  of  the  rod  turned  into  a  serpent,  and  the  hand 
changed  from  soundness  to  leprosy,  and  again  to  soundness  ; 
but  these  were  exhibited  before  the  elders  as  the  representa- 
tives of  the  peoj)le  (Ex.  iv.  29-31).    He  had  also  wrought  the 
miracles  of  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  by  the  hand  or  the 
word  of  Moses  ;  but  many  of  these  were  not  under  the  eye 
of  the  people.     But  now  he  will  answer  Moses  in  the  audience 
of  all  the  pebple,  that  they  may  believe  him  for  ever.     The 
Lord  knew  the  inconstancy  of  the  people,  and  therefore  con- 
descends to  give  them  a  universal  and  personal  attestation  to 
the  authority  of  his  prophet  and  delegate.      For  ever,  without 
interruption.      The  luords  of  the  people.     This  was  the  proper 
j)lan  for  introducing  the  formal  and  unanimous  assent  of  the 
people   to  the  covenant  of  the  Lord.      v.  10.   Sanctify   them 
to-day  and  to-morroiu.     These  days  were  supposed  to  be, 
according  to  tradition,  the  fourth  and  fifth  of  the  third  month. 
It  is  probable  that  the  fifth  w^as  the  sabbath  or  closing  day  of 
the  seven  weeks  after  the  passover.     This  rests  on  the  two- 
fold assumption  that  the   1  5th  of  Nisan   coincided  with  the 
weekly  Sabbath,  and  that  the  first  month  contained  twenty- 
nine,  and  the  second  thirty  days.     The    "sanctifying"   con- 
sisted in  washing  their  clothes  and  abstaining  from  conjugal 
intercourse  (v.  15,  Lev.  xv.  IS).     These  serve  for  the  outward 
form  of  sanctification  in  the  absence  of  any  ceremonial  enact- 
ment.    V.  11.  And  he  ready  for  the  third  day.     According 
to   the  supposition   already  mentioned,   the  0th  of  the   third 
month  would  be   the   fiftieth  day  after   the  Sabbath   in  the 
seven  days  of  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread.      We  know  that 
this  fiftieth  day  was  afterward  one  of  the  three  great  annual 
festivals  of  Israel  ;  and  as  the  other  two  had  special  reference 
to  momentous  events  in  the  history  of  the  people,  tlie  fca^t  of 
weeks  may  have  had  reference  to  the  giving  of  the  law.    This 
aftbrds  an  additional  argument  in  favour  of  the  fiftieth  day 


196  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  LAW-GIVING. 

being  that  of  the  lawgiving,  v.  1 2.  Set  hounds  to  the  people. 
These  bounds  were  at  some  distance  from  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  Beivare  ye  of  going  up  to  the  mount.  This  for- 
bids not  merely  ascending  the  side,  but  going  up  to  the  foot 
of  the  mount.  Or  touching  the  border.  The}^  were  not  to 
pass  the  bounds  marked  out  by  Moses,  or  approach  the  border 
or  skirt  of  the  mount.  There  shall  not  a  hand  touch  hirn, 
who  transgresses  the  bounds  and  touclies  the  mount.  No  one 
shall  cross  the  bounds  prescribed  in  order  to  drag  him  back 
or  punish  his  presumption.  He  shall  only  from  a  distance  be 
stoned  or  shot  through.  Whether  man  or  heast.  The  owner  is 
punished  for  his  carelessness  by  the  loss  of  his  beast.  But, 
even  apart  from  this  consideration,  the  awful  sanctity  of  the 
divine  presence  is  not  to  be  violated  by  any  unseemly  intru- 
sion. When  the  trumpet  soundeth  long.  When  the  cornet 
gives  a  long  and  swelling  note,  they  shall  go  itp  to  the  mount. 
As  we  are  said  to  go  up  to  the  capital  of  a  country,  so  here 
they  go  up  to  the  mount,  when  they  draw  nigh  to  it  without 
either  ascending  it  or  touching  its  skirts.  "They"  ('^'^n^ 
is  emphatic  in  the  original,  and  refers  to  the  people  in  con- 
trast with  Moses,  who  was  authorised  to  come  into  contact 
with  the  mountain.  At  the  sounding  of  the  trumpet  they 
are  to  approach  to  the  boundaries  that  have  been  marked  out ; 
but  they  are  on  no  account  and  at  no  time  to  proceed  farther. 
V.  14,  15.  And  Moses  went  doiun  from  the  mount.  He  had 
drawn  nigh,  but  not  necessarily  ascended,  to  the  summit,  to 
hold  converse  with  God.  Sanctified  the  p)eople,  gave  the  iie- 
cessar}'-  orders  for  their  sanctification.  Come  not  at  your 
ivives.      See  v.  J  0,  and  Lev.  xv.  1  8. 

v.  16-25.  The  descent  of  the  Lord  on  Mount  Sinai.  A 
thick  cloud.  A  heavy  dark  mass  of  clouds.  In  the  camp,  in 
view  of,  but  at  a  considerable  distance  from,  the  mountain. 
We  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  determine  forther  than  the 
text  warrants,  even  with  all  the  light  tliat  modern  ti'avellers 
have  cast  upon  the  locality,  the  precise  spot  in  which  the 
people  w^ere  encamped,  v.  17.  And  Moses  brought  forth  the 
people.  On  the  given  signal  (v.  1 3),  namely,  the  long  and 
swelling  blast  of  the  trumpet,  Moses  leads  forward  the  tremb- 
ling people  to  hear  the  giving  of  the  law.  We  must  here 
bear  in  mind  that  Moses  issued  his  commands,   as  the  general 


EXODUS  XIX.  3-15.  1D7 

of  a  groat  army,  by  means  of  the  elders  or  acknowledged 
leaders  of  the  people  (v.  17).  Tliey  stood  at  tlte  ndker  'part, 
or  foot  of  the  mountain,  outside  of  the  barrier  which  Mo.ses 
had  erected  to  prevent  intrusion.  A  scene  of  ineffable  gran- 
deur now  presented  itself  before  them.  v.  18.  All  asmoke. 
The  disengaged  and  partly  unconsuraed  matter  arises,  and. 
envelopes  as  usual  the  fire  in  which  tlie  Lord  descends.  The 
ivhole  mou)itaui  treruhled  greallj  with  the  reverberations  of 
the  thunder,  v.  19.  The  trumpet  sound  waxed  louder  and 
louder,  as  the  people  were  gathering  into  their  appointed  sta- 
tion before  the  mount.  The  origin  of  this  sound  we  leave,  as 
the  text  does,  undetermined.  On  the  sudden  silence  which 
followed  this  awful  trumpet  blast,  Moses  spake,  a)id  God  an- 
swered lilm  by  a  voiee,  by  an  audible  and  articulate  form  of 
words.  This  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  made  in  v.  D. 
What  were  the  words  uttered  on  this  sublime  occasion  we 
cannot  venture  to  determine.  The  statement  may  refer  to, 
or  at  least  include,  the  whole  of  the  following  communications 
so  far  as  they  were  audible  to  the  people.  This  is  favoured 
by  the  discernible  pause  which  the  narrative  here  makes.  Tiie 
recognition  of  this  pause  gives  point  and  emphasis  to  the 
present  statement,  and  imparts  a  solemn  stateliness  to  the 
progress  of  the  narrative. 

V.  20-25.  And  tlte  Lord  came  down.  This  sublime  event 
has  been  as  yet  only  incidentally  indiciited  to  account  for 
P'^'^  V.?P  V.  1 8)  the  smoking  of  Mount  Sinai.  It  now  comes 
forward  in  a  direct  statement  with  the  precise  intimation  that 
the  Lord  descended  on  the  top  of  the  mount.  He  now  called 
to  Closes  ('^P*'3p)  to  go  up  to  the  top  of  the  mount.  Here  for 
the  first  time  we  conceive  Moses  proceeded  farther  than  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  and  advanced  some  distance  on  its  slopes  with- 
out however  reaching  or  even  approaching  the  actual  summit. 
It  is  only  asserted  that  Moses  vjent  up,  without  adding  how  far. 
V.  21.  Go  down,  charge  the  people.  We  may  conceive  that 
the  ]^eoj)le  from  the  camp  were  pressing  forward  under  the 
direction  of  tiieir  leaders,  and  that  there  was  some  danger 
that  the  front  ranks  of  this  multitudinous  host  should  be 
urged  over  the  barriers  that  had  been  set  to  the  ))eople. 
Without  for  a  moment  imat^ininr;  that  the  women  and  chil- 
dren    were   all    within  the    valleys   immediately   around  the 


198  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  LAW-GIVING. 

mount,  we  can  easily  understand  that  the  vast  mass  of  deeply- 
agitated  men  would  need  the  reiterated  directions  of  their 
supreme  commander  to  prevent  any  involuntary  intrusion 
from  the  pressure  in  the  rear.  In  these  circumstances  the 
Lord  mercifully  sends  down  Moses  to  charge  the  people,  lest 
they  break  through  the  boundaries,  gaze  upon  that  which  no 
eye  is  to  behold,  and  many  of  them  perish,  v.  22.  The  pHests 
also.  We  know  that  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  erected 
altars  and  offered  sacrifices  to  the  Lord,  and  that  Moses  in- 
formed Pharoh  that  Israel  was  commanded  to  go  three  days' 
journey  into  the  wilderness  to  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord.  The 
presumption  is,  that  there  were  some  among  them  who  were 
appointed  to  act  as  priests.  Every  head  of  a  family  killed 
the  first  paschal  lamb  for  his  own  household,  thereby  practi- 
cally evincing  that  the  people  were  all  kings  and  priests  unto 
God.  And  we  read  (xxiv.  5)  before  the  appointment  of  Aaron 
and  his  sons,  that  "  Moses  sent  young  men  of  the  sons  of  Israel 
who  offered  burnt-offerings."  Here  we  perceive  that  the 
nation  was  not  without  sacred  ofiicers  who  discharged  the 
functions  and  were  entitled  to  the  name  of  priests.  Who  they 
Avere  we  do  not  learn  from  the  narrative,  probably  because 
their  service  at  the  altar  was  merely  temporary,  until  Aaron 
should  be  called  to  the  priesthood.  Who  come  near  to  the 
Lord  to  intercede  for  the  people.  Sanctify  themselves,  keep 
themselves  apart  outside  of  the  boundary,  observing  the  same 
rules  as  the  people.  These  occasional  priests  have  no  privi- 
leges beyond  the  rest  of  Israel,  who  are  all  priests  unto  God. 
V.  23.  Moses  here  intimates  that  the  people  cannot  touch  the 
mountain  on  account  of  the  bounds  by  which  it  is  separated 
and  sanctified,  v.  24.  But  the  Lord  directs  him  to  go  down 
and  prevent  the  people  and  the  priests,  who  had  not  yet  got 
any  special  charge,  from  breaking  through  tlie  barrier.  It  is 
intimated  that  Moses  and  Aaron  are  to  come  up  to  the  mount. 
But  this  seems  not  to  have  taken  place  until  a  second  intima- 
tion of  the  proper  time  is  given  (xxiv.  1).  v.  25.  Moses 
accordingly  goes  down  and  reiterates  the  charge  to  the  people 
and  the  priests. 


EXODUS  XX,  199 


CHAP.  XX.  THE  MORAL  LAW  ;  AND  THE  ALTAR. 

V.  2-17.  The  reader  of  the  orij^'inal  will  ol)serve  that  these 
vei-ses  are  provided  with  a  rlouhle  aeeeiituatioii,  the  one  re- 
ferring to  the  vei-ses,  the  other  to  the  comuiandments,  and 
called  the  lower  and  upper  accent.  Where  only  one  accent 
stands  the  two  coincide.  Where  a  principal  pause  of  the  one 
concui-s  with  a  minor  pause  of  the  other,  a  double  vocalization 
may  occur,  the  short  vowel  being  lengthened  by  the  one 
accent  and  not  by  the  other.  For  the  same  cause  a  letter  of 
double  power  at  the  beginning  of  a  word  is  read  as  a  semi- 
vowel with  the  one  accentuation,  and  as  a  mute  with  the 
other.  In  some  copies,  v.  13,  14,  15,  are  included  in  one. 
S  is  found  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  verse,  indicating  the  pri- 
mary division  of  the  Decalogue.  D  is  found  at  the  end  of 
vv.  G,  1 1,  1  2,  1  3,  1  4,  15,  1  G,  and  after  the  tirst  clause  of  v.  17, 
marking  the  subdivisions.  This  is  plainly  the  primary  form  of 
the  Decalogue.  The  deviations  of  the  copy  in  Dent.  v.  will 
be  best  considered  there.  In  some  copies  of  the  Sept.  vv.  1 3, 
11,  15,  stand  in  the  order  14,  15,  13. 

V.  9.  i^^^^^P  ^v&)'k,  business,  mliLtstry.  r.  un.  employ.  It  is 
more  comprehensive  than  ni2J?  labour,  service,  bondservice, 
r.  to  labour,  till  the  ground,  serve. 

V.  1 2.  After  /MrjTega  aov,  the  Sept,  has  ha  il  eoi  yiir,Tui,  xaJ, 
corresponding  v/ith  a  similar  clause  in  Deut.  v.   I  G. 

v.  1 7.  At  the  end  of  this  verse  the  Sam.  Pent,  has  a  long 
passage  agreeing  mostl}'^  with  Deut.  xxvii.  2-7.  It  is  not 
found  in  Onk.  or  the  Sept. 

v.  1  9.  The  Sam.  Pent,  here  omits  nj;DC'3^  ^3BV  nm  la^i  and 
inserts  a  passage  contained  in  Deut.  v.  21-24.  It  is  not  fol- 
lowed however  by  Onk.  or  the  Sept. 

1  And  God  spake  all  these  words,  saying,  §21. 

2  1  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  who  have  brought  thee  out  of  the  land 
of  Mizraitn,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

3  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me. 

4  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  tliee  any  graven  image,  or  any  likeness 
of  anytliing  that  is  in  the  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath, 
or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  eartli.     5  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down 


200  THE  MORAL  LAW  ;  AND  THE  ALTAR. 

to  them,  nor  serve  tliem  :  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a-  jealous  God, 
visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  sous,  upon  the  third  and 
upon  the  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  mc ;  6  And  showing 
mercy  unto  thousands  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep  my  command- 
ments. §  22. 

7  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain  :  for 
the  Lord  will  not  acquit  him  that  taketh  his  name  in  vain.       ^  32. 

8  Eemeniber  the  Sabbatli  day  to  hallow  it.  9  Six  days  shalt  thou 
labour,  and  do  all  thy  work.  10  But  the  seventh  day  is  a  Sabbath  to 
the  Lord  thy  God  :  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou,  nor  thy 
son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  man-servant,  nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy 
cattle,  nor  thy  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates  :  1 1  For  in  six  days 
the  Lord  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  the  sea  and  all  that  in  them 
is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day  :  wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sab- 
bath day,  and  hallowed  it.  §  23. 

12  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother;  that  thy  days  may  be  long 
upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee.  §  24. 

13  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  §  25. 

14  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.  §  26. 

15  Thou  shalt  not  steal.  §  27. 

16  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbour.    §  28. 

17  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbour's  house  ;  §  29.  Thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbour's  wife,  nor  his  man-servant,  nor  his  maid-ser- 
vant, nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  anything  that  is  thy  neighbour's.    §  30. 

18  And  all  the  people  saw  the  thunderings,  and  the  lightnings,  and 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  the  mountain  smoking  :  and  when  the 
people  saw  it,  they  drew  back  and  stood  afar  oif.  19  And  they  said 
unto  Moses,  Speak  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  hear ;  but  let  not  God 
speak  with  us,  lest  we  die.  20  And  Moses  said  unto  the  people, 
Fear  not ;  for  God  is  come  to  prove  you  ;  and  that  his  fear  may  be 
before  you,  that  ye  sin  not.  21  And  the  people  stood  afar  off:  and 
Moses  drew  near  to  the  thick  darkness  where  God  was.  §  31. 

22  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the 
sons  of  Israel,  Ye  have  seen  that  I  have  spoken  with  you  from  heaA'en. 
23  Ye  shall  not  make  with  me  any  idol ;  gods  of  silver  or  gods  of 
gold  shall  ye  not  make  unto  you.  24  An  altar  of  earth  thou  shalt 
make  unto  me,  and  thou  shalt  sacrifice  thereon  thy  burnt-offerings, 
and  thy  peace-offerings,  thy  sheep  and  thine  oxen  :  in  every  place 
Avhere  I  record  my  name  I  will  come  iinto  thee  and  bless  thee.  25 
And  if  thou  make  me  an  altar  of  stones,  thou  shalt  not  build  them 
with  hewing  :  for  if  thou  lift  up  thy  tool  upon  it,  thou  dost  pollute  it. 
26  And  thou  shalt  not  go  up  by  steps  unto  mine  altar,  that  thy 
nakedness  be  not  discovered  thereon.  18     T]  T[  T[     33. 


EXDFUS  XX.  1-17.  201 

The  clmpters  xx.-xxiii.  contain  that  code  of  laws  which  is 
called  the  book  of  the  covenant  (xxiv.  7).  It  is  clearly  distin- 
guishable into  two  pai'ts — thegeneralprinciplesof  raoralityconi- 
mon  to  all  mankind,  and  the  special  en.ietinents  pertaining  to 
the  pe()j)le  of  God.  The  forn)er  are  called  "  the  words  of  the 
Lord,"  which  He  spake  with  an  audible  voice,  and  wrote  upon 
the  two  tables  of  stone  (xxiv.  .'3,  xx.  1,  xxiv.  12).  In  refer- 
ence to  their  nnnd)er,  they  are  called  the  ten  words  or  com- 
mandments (xxxiv.  28).  The  latter  are  described  as  the 
"judgments,"  or  determinations  of  right  between  man  and 
man.  These  are  conmiunicated  to  Moses,  by  whom  they  are 
delivered  to  the  people  by  word  of  mouth,  and  also  in  wiiting 
for  their  permanent  guidance.  The  ten  commandments,  with 
certain  arrangements  preliminary  to  the  special  legislation,  are 
contained  in  the  present  chapter. 

V.  1-17.  The  Decalogue.  The  Masoretic  mark  for  an  open 
section  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  verse,  indicates  the  primary 
division  of  this  grand  compend  of  law  in  the  estimation  of 
these  venerable  annotators.  If  the  j)rinciple  of  division  be 
the  essence  of  the  Deity,  this  distribution  is  undoubtedly  cor- 
rect. The  previous  paragraph,  referring  to  the  unity,  spi- 
rituality, and  deity  of  God,  which  belong  to  the  essence  of 
His  nature,  is  of  univeisal  and  eternal  moment,  and  is  thus 
fundamentally  distinguished  from  the  following  one  regarding 
the  Sabbath  and  the  relative  duties  of  men,  which  are  inci- 
dental to  that  efiect  of  his  creative  action  to  which  man 
belongs.  The  former  of  these  paragraphs  the  authors  of  the 
Massorah  sub-divide  into  two  close  sections,  and  the  latter 
into  eight.  The  first  commandment  thus  apparently  includes 
verses  2-6,  on  the  principle  that  polytheism  and  idolatry  are 
identical,  or  two  modes  of  apostasy  from  the  one  true  God. 
But  in  fact,  these  two  are  not  less  distinct  from  one  another 
than  each  of  them  is  from  that  mode  of  degrading  God,  which 
is  noted  in  the  7th  verse.  The  true  principle  is,  that  there  are 
three  ways  of  dishonouring  God,  or  robbing  Him  of  His  glory 
— the  first  referring  to  His  unity,  the  second  to  His  spirit- 
uality, and  the  third  to  His  deity.  Hence  v.  2,  3  must  be 
regarded  as  the  first  commandment ;  v.  4-G  as  the  second  ; 
and  V.  7  as  the  third.  The  Talmud,  the  Targum  of  Jonathan, 
several  Jewish  rabbis,  Peter  Martyr,  and  others,  hold  v.  2  to 


202  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

l»e  the  first  commandment.  But  the  second  and  third  verses 
are  plainly  distinguished  as  the  positive  and  negative  sides  of 
the  one  commandment.  The  propriety  of  this  threefold  sub- 
division is  farther  demonstrated,  by  its  obviating  the  necessity 
of  sub-dividing  the  l7th  verse  into  two  commandments,  in 
order  to  make  up  the  number  ten.  If  these  two  errors  of 
sub-division  be  corrected,  "  the  ten  words "  are  divided  into 
three  and  seven  on  a  tenable  and  intelligible  principle— the 
three  referring  to  the  immutable  essence  of  God,  the  seven 
originally  to  man,  the  intelligent  part  of  the  six  days'  creation, 
and  ultimately  to  the  people  whom  God  has  taken  for  His 
peculiar  treasure.  It  is  well  known  that  three  has  also  a 
typical  or  mystical  reference  to  God,  and  seven  to  the  Church. 
If  the  two  tables  of  stone  were  to  contain,  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble, the  same  quantity  of  matter  without  breaking  up  a  com- 
mandment, the  Masoretic  division  makes  the  nearest  approach 
to  this  arrangement,  the  numbers  of  letters  in  each  portion 
being  respectively  (ei-rors  excepted)  277  and  348  ;  whereas, 
if  the  commandment  concerning  the  Sabbath,  containing  203 
letters,  were  transferred  to  the  former  side,  the  numbers 
would  be  480  and  140. 

The  Masoretic  division,  however,  though  it  have  a  basis  in 
the  structure  of  the  text,  is  founded  on  the  idea  of  God,  and 
not  on  the  nature  of  law.  It  has  a  deep  metaphysical  import  : 
but  it  regards  the  document  before  us  rather  as  a  chapter  of 
philosophy  than  a  corapend  of  law.  Considered  as  a  summary 
of  law,  this  document  bears  on  it  only  one  obvious  piinciple  of 
primary  division,  namely  that  of  the  party  to  wliom  the  duty 
is  owed.  In  this,  its  natural  aspect,  it  contains  two  great 
divisions — the  duty  of  man  to  God,  in  four  commandments, 
and  the  duty  of  man  to  man,  in  the  remaining  six.  It  is 
strange  tliat  Augustine,  having  adopted  this  primary  division, 
yet  retained  the  two  glaring  fiults  of  sub-division  to  which 
we  have  already  adverted.  In  this  way,  though  making  his 
primary  division  at  the  end  of  the  lltb  verse,  he  still  con- 
ceives that  there  are  three  in  the  first  table  and  seven  in  the 
second.  In  this  he  has  been  followed  by  the  Latin  and  the 
Lutheran  Churches.  He  generally  makes  the  prohibition  to 
ccn^et  another  man's  wife  the  ninth  commandment,  according 
to  the  arrangement  of  Deut.  v.  21  ;  in  which  he  is  not  followed 


EXODUS  XX.  1-17.  203 

by  those  Churches.  Other  Jewish  and  Christian  interpreters, 
inchifling  Philo,  Josephus,  Ji-ena3us,  Orij^'on,  Jerome,  the 
Eastern  and  Reformed  Churches,  agree  in  correcting  the  errors 
of  sub-division  which  arc  exhibited  in  the  Masoretic  text. 
The  primary  division  here  under  consideration  was  adopted 
not  only  by  Augustine,  but  by  Origen,  and  subsequently  by  Cal- 
vin and  liis  foHowcrs,  and  lience  ajipears  not  only  in  tlie 
Latin  and  Lutlicran,  but  also  in  tlie  British  Churches  and 
the  documents  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines. 

A  third  ground  of  primary  division  is  the  relati(»n  of  equa- 
lity or  inequality  between  the  parties  to  whom  the  duties 
rofer.  In  this  respect  the  Decalogue  is  divided  into  duties  to 
superiors  and  duties  to  e(pials.  Here  the  father  and  mother 
are  associated  with  God  as  superiors,  and  all  men  including 
parents  are  classed  together  as  equals.  The  point  of  division 
is  carried  forward  to  the  end  of  the  12th  verse,  and  each  taljle 
contains  five  of  the  "  ten  words."  This  is  the  primary  divi- 
sion of  Philo,  Josephus,  and  the  modern  Jews,  of  the  Eastern 
and  .some  Reformed  Chuiches.  It  has  the  advantage  of  giving 
a  numerically  equal  partition  of  the  ten  commandments,  and 
of  bringing  out  into  prominence  the  dignity  of  jiarents  as  the 
natural  representatives  of  God  to  their  children.  Nevertlie- 
less  it  appears  to  be  a  more  superficial  groinul  of  distribution 
than  either  of  the  others.  Between  God  and  man  the  line  of 
demarcation  is  much  more  tr(Michant  than  between  superiors 
and  inferiors  when  men  are  found  on  both  sides. 

The  mere  numerical  equality  of  the  two  tables  is  a  consi- 
deration of  no  moment ;  and  the  dignity  of  parents  is  suffi- 
ciently indicated  by  the  position  of  the  5th  commandment  in 
the  Decalogue.  For  these  reasons  we  adhere  to  the  second  of 
the  fundamental  divisions  described,  as  the  most  logical  and 
suitable  for  common  use.  Which  of  them  was  exhibited  on 
the  two  tables  of  stone  we  need  not  speculate.  But  it  is 
obvious  that  the  "second  corresponds  with  that  grand  classifica- 
tion of  all  law  which  our  Lord  brings  out  into  conspicuous 
prominence  from  the  Old  Testament,  "  the  first  and  great  com- 
mandment," to  "love  the  Lord  thy  God"  with  all  thy  powers, 
and  the  second  like  unto  it,  to  "  love  thy  neighbour  iis  thy- 
self"   (Matt.  xxii.  35-40). 

V.  1.  And  God.     The  use  of  this  name  of  God  here  (the 


204  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

Everlasting,  Eternal,  Almighty)  intimates  that  the  fundamen- 
tal principles  of  law  have  their  standing  in  the  abstract  I'ela- 
tions  of  theoretic  truth  antecedent  to  the  actual  creation  of  a 
universe  of  things.  Spake.  Whatever  media,  whether  ele- 
mentary or  angelic,  God  was  pleased  to  employ  on  this  occa- 
sion, it  is  manifest  that  the  speech  was  his  own,  not  merely  as 
to  the  words  spoken,  but  as  to  the  articulate  sounds  actually 
perceived  by  the  ear.  We  are  aware  that  vibrations  of  the 
air  are  the  usual  medium  for  affectinsj  the  sense  of  hearing 
and  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  these  were  employed  on 
the  present  occasion.  We  are  informed  that  Moses  stood  be- 
tween the  Lord  and  the  people  "to  show  them  the  word  of 
the  Lord ; "  yet  it  is  expressly  said  that  it  was  the  Lord  that 
talked  with  them  face  to  face  in  the  mount  (Deut.  v.  4,  5). 
It  appears  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  (Deut.  xxxiii.  2,  3  ; 
Ps.  Ixviii.  18  ;  Acts  vii.  53  ;  Gal.  iii.  19,  and  Heb.  ii.  2)  that 
angels  were  present  and  active  at  the  promulgation  of  the  law. 
The  passages  in  the  Old  Testament  merely  intimate  their  pre- 
sence. Those  in  the  New  point  to  some  kind  of  agency. 
The  phrase  of  Stephen  QxdQsrs  rov  vo/utyov  Big  diarayug  ayyl'Koi"/) 
"received  the  law  by  the  arrangements"  or  ministry  "of 
angels,"  may  be  regarded  as  equivalent  to  that  of  Paul  (hiarayiig 
di  dyyiXuv)  "  arranged"  or  ministered  "  through  angels."  Atten- 
tion is  to  be  paid  to  the  preposition  did  "  through,"  which  is 
used  in  the  New  Testament  to  denote  the  medium  or  inter- 
mediate agent,  while  the  ultimate  or  proper  agent  is  intro- 
duced by  i/To  "by"  (Matt.  i.  22  ;  ii.  15  ;  xxii.  31  ;  Acts  ii. 
xvi.,  xxviii.  25,  Pom.  i.  2).  This  serves  to  elucidate  the  his- 
torical description  of  the  law  in  Heb.  ii.  2  (6  di'  dyyeXuv  XaXrj- 
hig  Xcyog)  "the  word  spoken  through  angels."  It  is  plain 
from  the  narrative  now  before  us,  that  God  was  the  actual 
speaker,  in  accordance  with  which  the  angels  are  here 
described  as  intermediate  agents  in  the  accomplishment  of  the 
act.  We  recognise  the  instrumentality  of  the  atmospheric 
vibrations  in  the  formation  of  ai'ticulate  sounds.  And  as  we 
notice  the  agency  of  the  lightning  flash  in  exciting  those  re- 
verberations which  produce  the  inarticulate  sound  of  thunder, 
we  may  be  prepared  to  hear  of  the  agency  of  angels  who  ai-e 
spirits  and  ministers  wdio  are  a  flaming  Are  (Ps.  civ.  4),  in 
awakening  or  regulating  those  discrete  pulsations  which  con- 


EXODUS  XX.  2.  205 

stitiito  the  articulate  utterance  of  speech.  How  this  was 
eti'ecteJ,  wliat  was  the  arranging  or  dispensing  part  of  the 
angels  in  this  great  drama,  as  it  is  not  revealed,  we  do  not 
pretend  to  sa}'.  But  as  tlie  performer  is  the  source  of  the 
music,  notwithstanding  the  concurrence  of  tlie  bellows-blower, 
the  organ  pipes,  and  the  ambient  air,  so  we  can  understand 
that  God  was  the  real  speaker  of  the  ten  words,  notwith- 
standing the  intervention  of  the  dispensing  angels  and  the 
vocal  atmosphere.  All  these  words.  This  oral  communica- 
tion consists  of  ten  words  or  axioms  of  moral  truth,  that  form 
a  complete  and  orderly  whole,  and  afford  a:  broad  basis  fur  a 
system  of  ethical  science.  It  is  composed  in  the  scriptural 
method  of  stating  not  a  bare  abstract  princijtle,  but  a  circum- 
stantial concrete  example,  embodying  the  principle,  ruling  all 
like  cases,  and  making  a  deeper  and  stronger  impression  on 
the  mind.  It  presents  the  law,  also,  in  the  aspect  of  right- 
eousness rather  than  goodness  (Rora.  v.  7),  because  it  is 
designed  to  restrain  those  who  have  already  fallen  into  dis- 
obedience. And  hence  it  generally  takes  a  negative  form, 
and  deals  in  prohibitions  rather  than  requirements.  It  must 
be  understood,  however,  that  the  prohibition  involves  the  re- 
quirement, and  we  find  that  the  requirement  itself  is  given, 
when  it  admits  of  equal  or  greater  brevity  of  expression  than 
the  prohibition. 

THE  FIRST  COM>LA.NDMENT. 

V.  3,  4.  The  more  closely  we  examine  these  two  verses,  the 
more  surely  will  we  come  to  the  conclusion  of  the  Jewish 
Rabbis  that  the  former  is  an  essential  part  of  the  first  com- 
mandment. It  states  a  positive  fact  in  the  conviction  and  for 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  people,  to  which  the  latter  verse 
merely  adds  the  negative  precept  that  gives  strict  precision 
and  exclusiveness  to  the  previous  statement.  The  latter  verse 
presupposes  the  former,  and  is  incomplete  without  it.  The 
coiiS('(pient  "  thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  "  needs  the  ante- 
cedent "  thou  hast  me."  Yet  in  the  admirable  econoni}-  of 
this  address,  the  former  of  these  verses  serves  at  the  same 
time  for  the  preface  to  the  whole.  It  has  therefore  a  twofold 
bearing  on  what  follows — it  is  an  integral  part  of  the  first 


206  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

commandment,  and  it  is  an  introduction  to  the  whole  deca- 
logue. 

V.  2.  As  an  introduction  to  the  whole  law  this  verse  iden- 
tifies the  parties  to  the  covenant  in  the  present  instance. 
These  are  Jehovah  and  his  people.  It  also  lays  down  the  only 
solid  foundation  of  all  obligation  to  keep  this  law.  This  is 
threefold.  1.  He  who  commands  is  the  Lord,  Jehovah,  the 
Self-existent,  the  Creator,  the  absolute  Author,  and  therefore 
Governor  of  all  persons  and  things.  This  is  the  primaiy  rock 
on  which  all  authority  on  his  part  and  all  obligation  on  ours 
rest.  It  is,  moreover,  not  limited  in  its  range,  but  co-exten- 
sive with  the  universe  of  responsible  being.  It  is  therefore 
the  fitting  term  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  code  of  law.  2.  He 
is  thy  God.  Here  "  thy  "  is  the  characteristic  word.  "  God  " 
(D^ri^i^)  the  Everlasting,  Almighty,  antecedent  to  all  creation, 
is  presupposed  as  common  to  the  whole  definition  of  the  great 
Being.  The  possessive  word  "  thy "  points  to  the  covenant 
between  God  and  his  people.  When  taken  in  the  utmost 
depth  of  its  meaning  it  involves  two  things — 1.  That  God 
has  chosen  them  to  be  his  people ;  and  2.  That  he  has  sent 
his  Spirit  into  their  hearts,  in  consequence  of  which  they 
have  taken  him  to  be  their  God.  He  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit 
is  become  capable  of  spiritual  acts.  This  is  the  sole  ground 
of  human  ability  to  keep  the  commandments.  To  have  God 
in  this  full  sense  for  our  God  is,  therefore,  the  meet  prepara- 
tion for  doing  his  will.  He  is  the  Regenerator.  He  gives 
ability.  Ability  begets  obligation.  Will  tenders  obedience. 
III.  He  is  the  Redeemer.  He  has  brought  his  people  out  of 
the  Imd  of  Mizraim,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  This  in  the 
manner  of  Scripture  and  of  Providence  is  the  earnest  and  the 
guarantee  of  their  deliverance  from  all  other  and  greater  kinds 
of  bondage.  The  present  is  the  type  of  a  grander  future. 
We  must  descend  the  stream  of  revelation  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment before  we  fathom  the  depths  of  this  great  deliverance. 
But  the  redemption  from  Egypt  is  the  immediate  benefit  be- 
fore the  minds  of  this  people.  It  obviously  binds  them  to 
gratitude  and  devotedness.  Thus  the  appeal  of  God  touches 
the  inmost  springs  of  their  moral  nature,  and  draws  them  by 
the  threefold  tie  of  creation,  sanctification,  and  redemption,  to 
reverence,  obedience,  and  afifection. 


EXODUS  XX.  2.  207 

The  attentive  observer  will  note  tlie  unity  of  the  i»<'iity 
addressed  indicated  by  tlie  singular  pronoun  "  thy,  thee." 
God's  people  are  one  in  a  very  profound  sense,  as  they  have 
one  Creator,  Regenerator,  and  Redeemer  (Gen.  xvii.  7,  Ex.  iv. 
22,  Gal.  iii.  1  G,  Eph.  iv.  2-1 G).  But  tliis  pointed  form  of 
address  at  the  same  time  brings  home  the  obligation  of  the 
law  of  heaven  to  the  individ\ial  as  well  as  the  connnunit3\ 
It  is  another  instance  of  the  happy  choice  of  words  in  this 
piece. 

As  the  affirmative  part  of  the  first  commandment  this  verse 
admonishes  the  people  that  Jehovah,  the  Creator,  who  has 
singled  them  out  as  his  own,  and  has  redeemed  them  from 
bondage,  is  their  God.  This  is  itself  the  root  of  all  oblio-a- 
tion,  and  this  obligation  is  expret^sed  in  the  word  "  thy," 
which  asserts  the  connection  between  creature  and  Creator. 
This  brings  out  the  relation  of  right.  God  had  the  ri<Tht  of 
creation  to  man,  and  he  has  the  right  of  regeneration  and 
redemption  to  his  people.  Man  has,  inherently,  no  rifdit  to 
anything.  These  two  propositions  are  the  basis  of  all  eternal 
law.  God  made  a  grant  to  man  on  his  creation  with  a  neces- 
sary reserve  (see  on  Gen.  ii.  15-17).  Man  infringed  on  this 
reserve  under  temptation,  and  so  forfeited  the  divine  grant. 
Yet  God  bears  with  man,  proclaims  his  mercy,  and  accepts 
the  returning  penitent  who  trusts  in  his  word.  It  is  obvious 
that  such  come  under  new  obligations  to  the  Almighty,  rein- 
forcing the  great  principles  of  moral  truth. 

V.  3.  The  first  commandment  in  its  negative  foi-m  refers  to 
the  unity  of  God.  It  enjoins  the  owning  of  this  unity.  It 
is  therefore  against  pt)lytheism.  This  precept  is  of  uni- 
versal obligation.  The  idea  of  God,  the  Everlastinf^  and 
Almighty  Jehovah,  the  Creator  and  Upholder,  involves 
in  its  very  nature  the  idea  of  unity ;  and  so  this  net'-a- 
tive  verse  is  implied  in  the  affirmative  one  that  precedes. 
But  the  nations  had  lost  the  consciousness  of  their  own  unity 
as  a  race,  and  with  this  the  consciousness  of  the  unity  of  their 
common  Creator.  Each  jirincipality,  each  town,  and  at  length 
each  family  began  to  regard  the  god  of  its  emng  fancy  as 
different  in  individuality  from  that  of  others.  The  step  wjis 
easy  to  the  recognition  of  gods  many  and  lords  many.  Hence 
it  became  necessary  to  add  the  definite  exclusion  of  all  other 
imaginable  objects  of  worship  to  the  express  acknowledgment 


208  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

of  the  Lord  God.  The  original  form  of  the  expression  is  here 
worthy  of  attention.  "  There  shall  not  be  to  thee  other  gods 
upon  my  face."  Here  it  is  demanded  that  the  non-existence 
of  other  gods  be  reco^'nised.  This  presupposes  the  affirmative 
of  such  non-existence.  Such  gods  are  Qyy.^  nonentities, 
'"ll"?!  ^^  "  there  shall  not  be,"  is  directly  opposed  to  n|'nx  "  I-  Am," 
and  to  nin^  the  Author  of  existence  (iii.  14,  vi.  3),  the  exclu- 
sive names  of  the  God  of  creation  and  of  covenant.  Before  me 
is  literally  "  upon  my  face."  It  supposes  those  other  gods  to 
be  set  up  before  the  true  God  as  antagonists  in  the  eye  of 
God,  and  as  casting  a  shade  over  his  eternal  being  and  in- 
communicable  glory  in  the  eye  of  the  worshipper. 

THE  SECOND  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  4-6.  The  second  commandment  refers  to  the  worship  of 
God.  It  guards  the  immateriality  or  spirituality  of  His 
nature.  It  opposes  idolatry — that  is,  the  worship  of  an  idol 
or  image  of  God,  or  of  God  through  an  idol.  We  are  not  to 
make,  worship,  or  serve  an  idol.  Any  graven  image.  This 
is  a  carved  image  of  stone  or  wood.  Any  likeness.  The  word 
njirori  denotes  any  form  presented  to  the  eye  (Num.  xii.  8,  Job 
iv.  1 G),  and  therefore  includes  all  sorts  of  pictures  as  well  as 
images.  It  is  probable  that  the  Israelites  were  acquainted 
with  the  pictorial  representations  of  idols  in  Egypt.  At  all 
events,  the  specific  instance  involves  the  general  rule,  that 
every  kind  of  visible  similitude  is  to  be  avoided  in  the  wor- 
ship of  the  invisible  God.  In  heaven  above.  The  Egyptians 
had  images  of  celestial,  terrestrial,  and  aquatic  objects  of  wor- 
ship (Wilkinson).  The  water  under  the  earth.  It  is  import- 
ant to  notice  that  "  under  "  here  means  "  lower  in  level,"  lest 
the  Sci'iptures  be  accused  of  propounding  the  theory,  that  the 
interior  of  our  sphere  is  filled  with  water,  v.  5.  For.  The 
reason  here  assigned  applies  equally  to  the  first  and  second 
commandments,  and  warrants  the  Masoretes  in  placing  the  vv. 
2-G  containing  them  in  close  contiguity.  A  jealous  God. 
The  passions  of  a  moral  being  have  their  right  as  well  as  their 
wrong  use.  Hence  anger,  jealousy,  hatred,  and  revenge,  are 
ascribed  to  God,  not  as  passions,  but  as  the  feelings  of  a  holy 


EXODUS  XX.  4-G.  209 

being  in  regard  to  that  which  is  evil  (Dent,  xxxii.  21,  22,  35). 
As  the  Judge  of  the  universe,  God  lias  the  supreme  riglit  not 
only  to  entertain  these  feelings,  but  also  to  carry  out  their 
holy  behests  in  the  administration  of  His  everlasting  dominion. 
Tiiis  is  the  first  distant  allusion  to  the  semblance  of  the  cove- 
nant between   God  and   His  people   to  a  marriage    contract. 
Visiting  the  iniquifi/,  pursuing  and  overtaking  the  offender 
with    condign    punishment.       Thei"e    is    significance    in    the 
phrase  "  visiting  the  iniquity,"  as  it  shows  that  the  sons  are 
not  involved  in  the  penalty  if  they  are  not  found  in  the  ini- 
quity of  their  fathers.      The  iniquity  here  spoken  of  is  that  of 
polytheism  or  idolatry,  of  having  or  making  any  other  God. 
For  the  idol,  or  the  being  it  represents,  is  not  the  true  God, 
but  another  god  after  the  fashion  of  a  vain  imagination  (Rom. 
i.  21-25).      He  that  makes  and  worships  an  idol  has  lost  the 
knowledge   of  the  true   God.     This    iniquity    is    called    the 
iniquity  of  the  fathers,  inasmuch   as  it  originates  with  them, 
and  is  only  perpetuated  in   the  sons  who  adhere  to  it.     The 
history  of  the  world  shows  that  the  ungodliness  of  the  fathers 
is,  jis  a  rule  of  fallen   nature,  followed   by  the  sons.      Only 
grace  interrupts  the  succession  of  sin.      Upon  the  sons,  upon 
the  third  and  upon  the  fourth  generation.     This  is  a  timely 
guard  against  a  common  error  to  which  men  have  been  prone 
in  all  ages,  namely,  that  the  opinions  and  customs  of  their  fore- 
fjithers,  even  though  they  be  wrong,  are  an  excu.se  or  justifica- 
tion for  the  sons  walking  in  the  same  errors  of  judgment  and  con- 
duct.    The  fathers  will  have  to  account  for  their  own  iniquity, 
not  only  as  men,  but  as  fathers  setting  a  bad  example  to  their 
household.      But  the  sons  who,  on  arriving  at  the  exercise  of 
a  natural  judgment,  walk  in  the  same  iniquity,  will  be  treated 
as  responsible  beings,  and  visited  for  the  iniquity  which  they 
have  made  their  own.      Many  evil  consequences,  indeed,  such 
as  poverty,  disease,  and  infamy,  befall  the  children  of  ungodly 
and  vicious  parents.      But  a  profounder  truth  is  taught  in  this 
passage,  and  the  example  of  it  was  patent  before  the  eyes  of 
the  audience   assembled  in   Horeb.      The   forefathei-s   of  the 
Egyptians  had  departed  from  the  living  God,  and  devised  for 
themselves  the  eight  gods  of  the  first  order,  the  twelve  of  the 
second,  and  the  seven  of  the  third,  besides  their  countless 
modifications  and  sub-divisions  of  the  divine  essence.     Their 

o 


210  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

sons  of  the  existing  generation  not  only  followed  but  outstript 
their  fathers  in  the  abominations  of  superstition  and  deifica- 
tion; they  contemptuously  ignored  the  true  God,  whom  their 
fathers  acknowledged  (Gen.  xli.),  and  trampled  upon  His  peo- 
ple. In  this  instance  the  Lord  had  signally  visited  the  ini- 
quity of  the  fathers  upon  the  sons  in  the  ten  plagues,  and  in 
the  overwhelming  of  their  hosts  in  the  Red  Sea,  Upon  all 
the  gods  of  Egypt  he  had  executed  judgment,  aud  caused  the 
Egyptians  to  know  and  acknowledge  that  He  was  the  Lord 
(vii.  5,  viii.  8,  ix.  27,  xii.  12). 

With  these  tremendous  judgments  of  the  past  few  months 
still  fresh  upon  their  memories,  the  awe-struck  hearers  would 
have  a  vivid  conception  of  what  was  meant  by  the  jealous 
God  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation.  The  despotic  and  barbarous 
measures  of  the  new  king  that  knew  not  Joseph  had  been 
commenced  in  the  time  of  Moses'  father,  and  thei'efore  about 
four  generations  from  the  time  then  present.  Each  genera- 
tion had  only  been  advancing  in  the  severity  with  which  they 
oppressed  the  chosen  people  of  the  Lord,  until  their  cry 
ascended  to  heaven  and  the  Lord  interposed  for  their  vindica- 
tion. Overwhelming  was  the  visitation  for  their  aggravated 
and  infatuated  hostility  to  God  and  his  people.  God  admo- 
nishes the  world  by  terrible  examples  of  his  righteous  indig- 
nation; and  then  pauses  to  leave  men  the  full  exercise  of  their 
free-agency.  Of  them  that  hate  me.  To  have  or  to  make 
another  god  is  to  hate  the  true  God.  Here  let  it  be  observed 
that  in  the  estimate  of  God  there  is  no  difference  between 
forsakino-  him  for  another  and  hatino-  him.  The  neo-ative  state 
of  indifference  to  him  or  inclination  to  another,  necessarily 
involves  the  positive  state  of  hatred  to  the  true  God.  No- 
thing can  be  more  base  or  blameable  than  to  forsake  the  very 
Author  of  our  being  and  all  our  blessings  for  the  mere  phantom 
of  a  delusive  imagination.  It  is  the  special  temptation  of 
descendants  whether  in  the  nation  or  the  family  to  follow 
their  ancestors  in  apostasy  from  God  or  the  truth  which  he 
has  revealed  concerning  himself  and  his  ways.  Hence  at  the 
birth  of  this  nation  whom  he  has  choseii  for  himself  he  lifts 
up  a  monitory  voice,  reminding  them  of  the  judgment  of  Egypt, 
and  warninor  them  to  beware  of  incurring  a  like  visitation. 


EXODUS  XX.  G.  211 

To  allow  free  scope  for  that  voluntary  return  to  confession 
and  obedience  which  can  alone  he  pleasing  to  God,  he  may 
in  lonc-sufferinjx  withhold  the  full  force  of  his  correcting  hand 
even  to  the  fourth  generation.  But  a  nation  or  a  family  that 
neglects  opportunities  of  knowing  God  and  his  mercy  need 
not  expect  to  be  long  without  the  dread  experience  of  his 
power  and  justice. 

V.  6.  And  showing  mercy.  Mercy  is  that  form  of  the 
divine  goodness  which  reason  dare  not  affirm  and  revelation 
alone  can  proclaim.  And  to  show  mercy  or  do  kindness,  not 
to  requite  merit  or  reward  righteousness,  is  the  most  favourable 
language  that  can  be  employed  concerning  any  portion  of  a 
ftillen  race.  It  forms  the  contrast  here  to  "visiting  iniquity." 
Unto  thousands.  Here  is  a  cheering  prospect  and  a  sweet 
assurance  to  godly  parents.  "  Thousands "  may  be  fairly 
understood  to  mean  the  thousandth  generation,  and  therefore 
to  intimate  the  possibility,  if  not  the  probability,  of  piety 
becoming  hereditary  or  being  perpetuated  in  the  given  line  to 
the  end  of  time.  And  the  comforting  promise  is  that  God 
will  never  fail  to  show  mei'cy  to  all  successive  generations 
that  humbly  and  thankfully  own  him  for  their  God.  We 
observe  how  mercy  rejoices  over  judgment ;  God  visits  iniquity 
unto  the  fourth  generation  ;  he  shows  mercy  unto  the  thou- 
sandth. Of  tlteni  that  love  me  and  keep  my  commandmenis. 
The  objects  of  the  divine  mercy  are  those  who  have  the  Lord 
for  their  God  and  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  They 
meet  his  mercy  with  an  earnest  confiding  gratitude  ;  and  this 
feeling  displays  itself  in  "loving  him  and  keeping  his  com- 
mandments." There  is  an  intense  interest  connected  with 
the  expression  "  them  that  love  me."  It  plainly  intimates 
that  those  who  have  no  other  God  before  the  true  God,  and 
make  no  other  God  beside  liim,  are  those  who  at  the  same 
time  love  him.  It  ])roves  that  the  negative  quality  of  not 
forsaking  the  true  God  is  understood  to  imply  the  positive 
quality  of  being  faithful  to  him  and  loving  him.  This  gives 
a  new  character  to  the  whole  decaloirue.  It  now  becomes 
not  a  mere  negative  law  of  righteousness,  but  a  positive  law 
of  love.  This  principle  applying  to  the  first  two  precepts  will 
extend  to  the  whole.  Besides  if  we  love  him  that  begat,  we 
shall  love  those  who  are  begotten  ;  and,  therefore,  love  to  God 


212  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

will  naturally  result  in  love  to  all  his  creatures.  This  closing 
sentence  would  sink  deep  into  the  hearts  of  those  reverential 
auditors  in  Horeb's  glens.  It  forms  the  bright  counterpart 
to  the  dark  menace  conveyed  in  the  preceding  one.  As  the 
former  has  its  dread  exemplification  in  the  judgments  executed 
on  Egypt,  so  the  latter  finds  its  hopeful  illustration  in  the 
chosen  race.  Those  who  then  stood  before  the  mount  of  God 
were  about  the  tenth  generation  from  Abraham  the  father  of 
the  faithful.  The  faith  of  their  great  forefather  was  still  the 
profession  of  all  and  the  inward  experience  of  a  goodly  number 
in  that  vast  multitude.  And  God  had  been  unchangeably 
faithful  in  "  showing  mercy  "  to  them  during  all  that  interval, 
and  especially  to  the  tenth  generation  who  had  been  brought 
out  of  the  land  of  bondage  and  were  on  their  way  to  a  land 
of  blessing.  Here  then  was  the  warning  against  apostasy  on 
the  one  hand  and  the  encouragement  to  fidelity  on  the  other 
presented  in  the  most  striking  examples  to  this  new-born 
nation. 

It  is  interesting  to  find  the  glad  tidings  of  the  mercy  of 
God  presupposed  and  incidentally  proclaimed  in  this  address 
from  the  mount  of  God.  It  is  important  also  to  note  the 
place  where  the  two  alternatives  of  judgment  and  mercy  are 
inserted  in  this  legislative  address.  They  come  after  the  two 
precepts  enjoining  the  exclusive  and  direct  owning  and  wor- 
shipping of  the  true  God.  This  indicates  that  to  have  the 
Lord  for  our  God  and  to  have  and  to  make  no  other  god,  is 
the  basis  of  all  religion  and  the  substance  of  the  covenant 
between  God  and  his  people.  All  that  follows  after  is  the 
mere  carrying  out  of  this  fundamental  and  fully  expressed 
principle.  This  deep  and  important  thought  fully  bears  out 
the  Masorah  in  throwing  v.  2-6  into  one  paragraph. 


THE   THIRD  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  7.  After  the  acknowledgment  of  the  One  Great  Spirit 
as  our  God  comes  the  manner  in  which  we  ought  to  treat 
him.  The  name  of  God  is  that  "  by  which  he  makes  himself 
known."  In  the  realistic  style  of  scripture,  where  names  are 
significant,  the  name  indicates  the  nature  of  God.  It  is  ex- 
pressive,  therefore,    of  his   godhead  or  deity.     It  especially 


EXODUS  XX.  7.  213 

intimates  that  great  attribute  wliiel)  is  the  sum  and  su1).stance 
of  the  divine  nature.  Pinver  belongeth  unto  God  (Ps.  Ixii.  1 1  ; 
Rom.  L  20)  as  the  essence  of  his  being :  for  power  implies 
fieedom,  and  freedom  ^vilI,  and  will  intelligence  ;  power,  will, 
and  intellect  are  the  three  essentials  of  a  Spirit.  To  take  the 
name  of  God  in  vain  is  to  violate  his  essence,  power,  truth. 
This  commandment  is  therefore  directed  against  blasphemy, 
perjury,  and  all  other  modes  of  dishonouring  the  name  of  God. 
In  its  form  it  serves  to  illustrate  that  feature  in  the  style  of 
scripture  according  to  which  a  plain  and  familiar  case  is  set 
forth  to  embody  a  general  principle.  And  hence  in  a  pro- 
founder  sense  it  is  opposed  to  pantheism,  naturalism,  creaturism, 
or  the  applying  of  the  name  of  God  to  the  creation  or  any 
part  of  it,  or  dealing  with  it  as  if  it  belonged  to  a  creature. 

The  sin  here  forbidden  has  been  as  prevalent  as  polytheism 
or  idolatry.  It  has  assumed  all  forms,  from  the  deification  of 
a  fetish  to  that  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  or  of  the  universe. 
It  has  appeared  not  only  as  a  superstition,  but  as  a  philosophy, 
falsely  so  called.  It  consists  in  the  ascription  either  of  divine 
attributes  to  a  creature,  or  of  creature  attributes  to  God.  The 
latter  is  the  form  chiefly  contemplated  in  the  command,  as  it 
is  addressed  to  those  whose  God  is  the  Lord.  It  tends  to 
atheism. 

Will  not  acquit  him.  There  is  here  an  allusion  to  the 
"visiting  of  iniquity"  mentioned  in  the  previous  passage. 
The  iniquity  of  taking  the  name  of  God  in  vain,  is  akin  to  that 
of  having  another  god,  or  making  an  idol  before  the  living 
and  true  God.  It  is  a  form  of  apostasy  and  ungodliness,  and 
therefore  involves  the  same  guilt,  doom,  and  penalty.  This 
raises  the  third  commandment  to  the  same  gravity  of  char- 
acter with  the  former  two.  The  investifration  of  the  nature 
of  that  crime  which  it  prohibits  has  led  us  to  the  same  con- 
clusion regarding  its  primary  importance. 

Tlie  first  commandment,  then,  guards  the  unity  of  God ; 
the  second,  his  spirituality  ;  the  third,  his  deity,  or  essence. 
In  the  first  we  are  forbidden  to  make  God  one  of  many,  when 
he  is  the  only  One ;  in  the  second,  to  liken  him  to  a  corrupt- 
ible image,  when  he  is  the  incorruptible  Spirit ;  in  the  third, 
to  identify  liim  in  any  way  with  the  creature,  when  he  is  the 
Creator.      The  three  combine   to  form  the  fundamental  law 


214  THE  MOKAL  LAW. 

of  monotheism  ;  but  at  the  same  time  they  present  an  adum- 
bration of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  tlie  Spirit.  The  Father  is 
God,  the  invisible  one  ;  the  Son  is  the  express  image  of  the 
Father  (Heb.  i.  2) ;  and  the  Spirit  is  the  inward  power  or 
essence  of  God. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  ontological  division  of  this  solemn 
proclamation  from  Sinai  takes  place  at  this  point.  All  that 
goes  before  refers  to  the  essence  of  God ;  all  that  follows 
relates,  not  to  his  essence,  but  to  his  work.  This  division 
rests  on  the  theological  aspect  of  the  "  ten  words." 

THE  FOURTH  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  8-11.  This  grand  compend  of  law  now  descends  from 
the  personal  rights  of  God  to  the  day  of  his  rest.  The  former 
precepts  are  purely  moral ;  the  fourth  is  partly  moral  and 
partly  positive.  The  principle  that  man's  time  should  be 
divided  between  labour  under  the  eye  of  God  and  leisure  for 
the  solemnities  of  his  worship  is  moral.  The  apportionment 
according  to  the  example  of  God  is  positive.  The  first  three 
precepts  are  of  universal  obligation  whenever  and  wherever 
there  is  a  rational  creature.  The  fourth  is  specially  binding 
on  man,  being  founded  on  the  six  days'  work  and  the  seventh 
day's  rest  in  that  creation  of  which  he  formed  the  crowning 
part.  It  is  therefore  to  him  of  perpetual  significance  and 
obligation.  Referring  to  a  day  of  rest  for  appearing  before 
God,  it  inculcates  religion  and  prohibits  secularity.  It  has  a 
twofold  form — affirmative,  "  Eemember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
hallow  it ; "  negative,  "  In  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work." 

V.  8,  Reniemher.  Pointing  to  an  event  of  the  past  it  is 
the  precept  of  memory.  It  deals  with  the  commemorative 
principle.  This  is  in  keeping  with  the  constitution  of  man. 
Memory  is  the  faculty  of  history  ;  and  the  remembrance  of 
events  that  have  a  momentous  influence  on  the  interests  of 
man  is  congenial  wnth  all  the  tendencies  of  his  nature.  Tlie 
day.  It  is  not  without  significance  that  the  law  contains  a 
commandment  concerning  time,  and  none  concerning  space. 
Human  action  occupies  a  certain  time,  while  it  has  no  definite 
relation  to  space.  It  also  implies  forethought,  deliberation, 
purpose,  volition.     It  involves  an  agent  and  a  patient,  a  cause 


EXODUS  XX.  8-1  1.  215 

and  an  effect.  As  a  course  of  conduct  runs  tlirougli  a  certain 
length  of  time,  action  and  duration  come  to  be  measures  of 
each  other.  Hence  liistory  and  chronology  are  inseparably 
associated.  Spirit  may  be  said  to  be  to  time  as  matter  is  to 
space.  The  one  fills  time  with  the  successive  acts  of  its  free 
powers ;  as  the  other  occupies  space  with  tlie  widc-sj)rcad 
field  of  its  constant  forces.  The  day  is  the  natural  unit  of 
time,  and  affords  the  measure  for  the  division  of  time  in  the 
fourth  commandment.  It  extends  from  sunset  to  sunset 
(Lev.  xxiii.  32).  tSabhath,  a  rest,  not  that  of  sleep  or  death, 
but  vacation  from  business,  leisure  for  converse  with  God.  To 
hallow  it,  set  it  apart  from  the  rest  of  time  for  sacred  rest. 

V.  9.  Six  days  slialt  t/ioa  labour.  There  is  here  an  in- 
junction to  labour  in  so  far  as  it  is  necessary  for  the  support 
of  life.  There  is  at  the  same  time  a  permission  to  employ  six 
successive  days  in  labour.  Experience  proves  that  this  is  more 
than  sufficient  for  raising  from  the  ground  the  sustenance 
needful  for  man.  And  do  all  thy  luorh.  Work  or  business 
is  a  more  extensive  term  than  labour.  The  latter  refers  to 
out-door  work  or  manual  labour,  requiring  effort  and  entailing 
toil :  the  former  includes,  moreover,  the  routine  of  domestic 
opcratirms,  the  management  of  affairs,  the  transactions  of  buy- 
ing and  selling,  and  all  that  is  usually  meant  by  the  t^rra 
"  business." 

v.  10.  But  the  seventh  day.  \Miile  six  days  are  allowed 
for  business,  the  seventh  is  assigned  to  leisure.  The  number 
seven  has  acquired  a  typical  sacredness  from  its  application 
to  the  Sabbath.  The  rest  of  God  after  six  days  of  creative 
activity,  in  which  a  habitation  was  prepared,  and  man,  the 
intended  inhabitant,  created,  is  the  historical  foundation  for  the 
Sabbath.  But  tlie  proportion  of  time  for  labour  and  for  rest 
is  not  only  derived  from  the  history  but  adapted  to  the 
nature  of  man.  The  operations  of  the  corporeal  fiume  consist 
of  thrce  parts :  fii-st,  that  which  is  invohintary  and  without 
intermission,  as  the  action  of  the  heart  and  other  internal 
functionaries  of  the  vital  organism  ;  second,  that  which  is 
instinctive,  as  the  travail  of  the  animal  powers  in  search  of 
food,  shelter,  and  other  natural  requirements  ;  and  third,  th.at 
which  is  i-ational,  as  the  effort  to  attain  a  certain  end  beyond 
the  merely  animal  wants.     The  first  part  of  the  movement  is 


216  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

kept  in  constant  vigour  by  the  regular  supply  of  food.  The 
second  has  its  recompense  in  the  natural  repose  of  sleep.  The 
third  remains  over  to  be  relieved  by  a  recuning  period  of  rest 
to  be  determined  by  reason.  As  on  the  whole  about  a  third 
part  of  the  exertion  of  our  powers  may  be  due  to  this  last 
source,  and  that  for  the  half  of  the  natural  day,  it  follows 
that  a  sixth  part  of  each  natural  day  needs  its  compensating 
repose.  After  six  days,  therefore,  a  seventh  day  of  rest  seems 
needful  to  repair  the  waste  and  weariness  accruing  from 
voluntary  rational  effort.  At  all  events  the  special  activity 
of  the  rational  powers  evidently  stands  in  need  of  being 
recruited  by  a  third  provision,  not  of  the  animal,  but  of  the 
rational  nature,  and  that  is  plainly  the  Sabbath. 

A  Sabbath  to  the  Lord  thy  God.  Rest  and  dedication  to 
God  are  the  properties  here  assigned  to  the  Sabbath.  The 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  connects  man  with  the  origin  of 
his  race,  with  the  six  days'  creation  and  with  the  Creator 
himself  The  connexion  is  manifestly  a  historical  one.  He 
that  observes  the  Sabbath  aright  holds  the  history  of  that 
which  it  celebrates  to  be  authentic,  and  therefore  believes  in 
the  creation  of  the  first  man,  in  the  creation  of  a  fair  abode 
for  man  in  the  space  of  six  days,  in  the  primeval  and  absolute 
creation  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and,  as  a  necessary 
antecedent  to  all  this,  in  the  Creator  who  at  the  close  of  his 
latest  creative  effort  rested  on  the  seventh  day.  The  Sabbath 
thus  becomes  a  sign  by  which  the  believers  in  a  historical 
revelation  are  distinguished  from  those  who  have  allowed 
these  great  facts  to  fade  from  their  remembrance  (xxxi.  13). 
The  leisure  of  the  Sabbath-day,  moreover,  affords  the  oppor- 
tunity for  the  holy  convocation  and  for  the  public  and  private 
exercises  of  praise,  prayer,  reading,,  expounding  and  applying 
the  word  of  God.  The  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  then,  be- 
comes the  characteristic  of  those  who  cherish  the  recollections 
of  the  origin  of  their  race,  and  who  worship  God  not  merely 
as  Elohim,  the  Everlasting  Almighty,  but  as  Jehovah,  the 
historical  God,  the  Creator,  who  has  revealed  himself  to  man 
from  the  dawn  of  his  existence  as  the  God  of  love  and  after- 
wards of  mercy  and  grace,  of  promise  and  performance. 

Thou  shalt  not  do  any  work.  Both  labour  and  business  (^"^pK 


EXODITS  XX.    1  1.  217 

and  '^3'^f'^,  the  latter  including  the  former)  are  excluded  on 
the  weekly  sabbath.  Thou,  nor  tlty  so)i,  nor  Ihy  daufjhter. 
These  are  the  free.  The  remainder,  commencing  without  tlie 
copulative  conjunction,  are  the  bond.  It  i.s  remarkable  that 
tlii.s  enumeration  intimates  the  duties  of  superiors  to  their 
inferiors.  It  points  to  the  right  and  duty  of  parents,  masters 
and  hosts  to  i-estrain  those  under  them  from  sin  and  train 
them  to  holiness.  It  makes  the  mother,  the  wife,  tlie  mistress, 
not  subject  in  this  respect,  but  equal  to  the  husband.  It 
marks  the  accountability  of  owners  also.  In  like  manner  it 
affirms  the  right  of  children,  servants,  and  strangers,  to  the 
observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  by  parity  of  reason  to  tlie  free 
exercise  of  all  other  religious  duties.  It  inculcates  the  kind 
treatment  of  the  lower  animals.  Especially  it  claims  the 
seventh  day  rest  for  the  domestic  animals  that  labour  for  and 
with  man  in  the  pursuit  of  his  rational  ends.  Thy  stranger 
that  is  luithin  thy  gates,  (see  on  xii.  1  9).  They  were  sojour- 
ners, not  yet  incorporated  by  circumcision  into  the  community 
of  Israel. 

V.  1 1.  For.  A  reason  is  assigned  for  the  observance  of  this 
precept,  as  there  was  for  all  that  preceded  it.  God  requires  a 
rational  service.  The  reason  is  historical.  It  refers  to  the 
original  division  of  time  into  six  days  of  work  and  a  seventh 
day  of  rest  on  the  occasion  of  the-  creation  of  man.  Then 
God  not  only  rested  after  the  six  days  of  creation,  but  blessed 
the  Sabbath  day  and  hallowed  it.  He  thus  instituted  a 
seventh  day  Sabbath  of  perpetual  obligation,  and  therefore 
now  enforces  its  constant  remembrance  and  observance  (see  on 
Gen.  ii.  1-3).  Reminding  him  of  his  exalted  origin  and  bring- 
ing him  into  contact  with  his  maker  it  awakens  in  his  breast 
all  those  feelings  of  joy  and  thankfulness  which  the  possession 
of  conscious  being  naturally  evokes. 

From  the  essence  of  God  we  naturally  pass  to  his  action. 
As  the  former  three  precepts  indicate  his  intrinsic  essence,  so 
the  fourth  reveals  the  foundation  of  his  authoi'ity  over  the 
creature.  The  act  of  creation  is  the  origin  of  all  title  to  the 
creature  and  to  the  obedience  of  the  intelligent  creation.  The 
creation  of  man  is  commemorated  in  the  fourth  commandment 
Hence  it  contains  the  fountain  head  of  all  authority  in  God 
and  all  duty  in  man.     The  former  three  are  negative.     This  is 


218  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

affirmative.  The  former  regard  eternity.  This  refers  to  time, 
and  deals  with  man's  conduct  towards  God,  dividing  it  into 
innocent  business  and  recreation  on  six  days,  and  holy  leisure 
for  converse  with  God  on  the  seventh.  The  absolute  authority 
of  God  is  no  less  important  to  us  than  his  necessary  being. 
The  former  three  commands  relate  exclusively  to  God.  The 
fourth  introduces  man  on  the  stage  of  existence.  It  forms 
therefore,  the  natural  transition  from  the  rights  of  God  to 
those  of  man. 

Reo-ardino;  the  ten  words  as  a  law,  we  are  now  come  to  the 
point  of  main  division.  A  law  determines  what  is  due  to 
each  class  of  persons  ;  and  therefore  may  be  divided  according 
to  the  various  rights  due,  or  the  various  parties  to  whom  they 
are  due.  In  a  piimary  division  these  two  principles  come 
ultimately  to  the  same  thing,  inasmuch  as  the  nature  of  the 
right  depends  entirely  on  the  nature  of  the  person  to  whom 
it  is  due.  The  present  summary  of  law  is  divided  on  the 
latter  principle  into  the  duties  of  man  to  God,  and  of  man  to 
man.  The  subdivisions  that  flow  from  such  a  primary  classi- 
fication are  merely  the  analysis  of  the  sum  of  right  due  to 
each  class  of  individuals. 

THE  FIFTH  COMMANDMENT. 

v.  12-17.  We  are  now  come  to  that  series  of  command- 
ments which  contain  our  duty  to  man.  This  is  divided  into 
our  duty  to  superiors,  contained  in  one,  and  our  duty  to  equals, 
contained  in  the  remaining  five. 

v.  ]  2.  This  commandment  prescribing  our  duty  to  superiors 
is  properly  arranged  after  the  four  that  determine  our  duty  to 
the  great  Supreme.  It  is  also  the  meet  companion  of  the 
fourth,  inasmuch  as  they  are  both  founded  on  the  history  and 
nature  of  man  :  the  former  pointing  to  the  origin  of  the  race, 
the  latter  to  that  of  the  individual.  Honour  thy  father  and 
thy  mother.  We  have  here  a  beautiful  instance  of  the  scrip- 
tui-al  method  of  laying  down  a  principle  by  enunciating  its 
most  striking  and  important  example.  The  parents  are  the 
only  natural  superiors,  for  they  are  under  God  the  authors  of 
the  existence  of  those  children  for  whose  maintenance  and 
training  they  labour  with  all  the  assiduity  of  natural  affec- 


EXODUS  XX.  12.  219 

tion.  Tins  sublime  Kclicmc  of  general  jurisprudence  does  not 
condescend  to  notice  the  ei)lienieral  ansmgements  of  artificial 
society,  but  selects  the  primeval  distinction  of  parent  and 
child  as  the  theme  of  legislation  concerning  superiors  and 
inferiors.  The  parent  stands  to  the  child  in  the  relations  of 
progenitor,  benefactor,  teacher,  and  ruler.  As  progenitor  he 
is,  under  God,  the  author  of  the  child's  existence  ;  and  this 
gives  him  a  rightful  authority  over  the  child  second  only  to 
that  supreme  authority  which  creation  gives  to  God  over  both 
parent  and  child.  Parental  affection  moves  the  father,  and 
especially  the  mother,  to  those  unwearied  efforts  of  tender, 
loving,  fosteritig  care  that  are  demanded  by  the  lielplessness 
of  infancy  and  childhood,  and  forms  the  type  and  shadow  of 
that  di.sinterestcd  beneficence  which  comes  out  in  other  cir- 
cumstances in  the  priestly  office.  The  wisdom  and  experience 
of  ao-e  qualify  him  to  cultivate  the  intellectual,  active,  and 
moral  powei-s  of  his  child  ;  in  the  discharge  of  which  duties 
he  foreshadows  the  functions  of  the  prophet,  the  teacher,  and 
the  preacher.  His  authority  as  parent  entitles  him,  and  his 
affection  and  experience  befit  him,  to  exercise  a  benignant 
sway  over  his  child,  and  therein  to  adumbrate  the  affairs  of  the 
elder  or  ruler  in  the  political  and  ecclesiastical  worlds. 

The  "father"  and  "mother"  are  distinctly  specified  to 
indicate  that  they  are  equal  in  authority,  and  therefore  equally 
entitled  to  that  "honour"  which  the  mother  will  attract  by 
her  love  and  the  father  will  enforce  by  his  power.  This  honour 
naturally  resolves  itself  into  reverence  for  the  authors  of  our 
beinnr,  rrratitude  for  the  nameless  blessings  of  a  home,  docility 
to  the  patient  and  persevering  educators  of  our  infant  minds, 
and  obedience  to  the  commands  of  our  natural  superiors.  The 
patriarch  was  father,  priest,  prophet,  and  king  in  his  house- 
liold  or  clan.  In  the  more  complex  arrangements  of  nations 
and  empires  the  magistrate  and  the  priest  came  out  into 
prominence  and  influence  as  distinct  orders,  and  even  the 
teacher  sometimes  asserted  a  standing  and  a  rank  for  himself 
in  the  social  scale.  But  all  these  subdivisions  of  authority 
find  their  origin  and  standard  in  the  parental  relation  and  the 
fifth  commandment.  This  commandment  enforces  all  law- 
ful authority,  and  is  opposed  to  all  the  levelling  and  derang- 
iug  fancies  of  anarchy  and  democracy. 


220  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

That  thy  days  may  he  long  in  the  land.  This  is  the  first 
commandment  with  promise.  To  comprehend  all  the  mean- 
ing of  this  we  must  remember  that  the  personal  pronoun 
"  thou,  thy  "  is  to  be  taken  both  in  a  collective  and  individual 
sense.  In  the  collective  sense  it  refers  to  the  whole  people, 
and  conveys  the  assurance  that  compliance  with  this  command 
will  prolong  or  perpetuate  their  possession  of  the  promised 
land.  In  the  previous  commandment  parents  were  required 
to  impress  upon  their  children  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
and  the  maintenance  of  that  reverence  for  God,  remembrance 
of  his  creative  power  and  authority,  and  devotion  to  his  wor- 
ship, which  are  inseparably  associated  with  the  day.  The 
dutiful  attention  of  children  to  these  instructions  will  serve  to 
perpetuate  fidelity  to  God  among  the  people  from  generation 
to  generation,  and  therewith  to  perpetuate  the  inheritance  of 
the  land  of  their  forefathers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  neijlect 
of  the  parents  to  enforce,  or  of  the  children  to  maintain,  the 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  and  all  its  associations  with  the 
origin  of  their  race,  and  with  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of 
their  being,  will  inevitably  tend  to  apostasy  from  the  true 
God,  and  consequent  expulsion  from  the  land  of  all  their 
natural  and  religious  affections.  The  subsequent  history  of 
this  people  to  the  present  day  forms  a  stiiking  comment  on 
the  sentence  now  before  us.  The  great  economic  law,  how- 
ever,  that  filial  obedience  is  the  main  foundation  of  national 
stability  and  prosperity,  is  not  peculiar  to  the  Jews.  The 
domestic  virtues  have  in  all  nations  been  the  prolific  source  of 
social  greatness  and  progress. 

The  personal  application,  however,  of  this  promise  is  no  less 
just  and  important.  Length  of  days  or  of  inheritance  is  a  law 
running  through  the  moral  government  of  God,  counteracted 
no  doubt  and  modified  by  the  interference  of  other  laws  that 
contribute  no  less  to  the  ultimate,  if  not  immediate,  good  of 
the  individual.  For  if  life  be  shortened  to  a  child  of  God,  he 
only  entei-s  the  sooner  upon  a  better  and  higher  life.  And  if 
the  inheritance  be  shorter  than  the  life,  yet  he  cannot  be  de- 
prived of  that  precious  and  present  inheritance  that  all  things, 
even  affliction,  work  together  for  his  ffood. 

Which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,  is  going  to  give  thee, 
is  in  the  purpose  and  process  of  giving  thee,  as  the  imperfect 


EXODUS  XX.  1 3.  221 

or  current  participle  denotes.  The  mention  of  this  circum- 
stance concerning  the  land  favours  tiie  wider  interprettition  of 
this  promise,  as  it  was  to  the  whole  ])eople  the  Lord  was  ahout 
to  give  the  land.  It  does  not  however  preclude  its  reference 
to  individuals.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  if  we  rei^ard  the  second 
vei-se  as  an  integral  part  of  the  first  commandment,  the  phrase 
"the  Lord  thy  God"  occurs  in  each  of  the  first  five  com- 
mandments. 

This  is  the  third  and  last  point  at  which  the  main  division 
of  the  Decalogue  may  be  placed  ;  the  ground  of  distinction 
being  the  rank  of  the  ])arties  to  whom  the  rights  are  assigned. 
The  first  five  refer  to  the  rights  of  superiors,  and  the  second 
five  to  those  of  equals.  But  the  second  point  of  division  is 
much  more  marked  than  this.  The  contradistinction  between 
God  and  man  is  incomparably  more  important  than  that  be- 
tween superiors  and  equals,  when  among  the  superiors  God 
and  man  are  classed  together  and  opposed  to  men  as  equals. 
It  is  obvious  that  the  fourth  and  fifth  commandments  form  the 
easy  and  gi-adual  transition  from  the  higher  to  the  lower  sphere 
of  legislation.  They  stand  together  in  many  respects.  Thev 
have  a  positive  form.  The  one  introduces  us  to  the  family  ox 
heaven  ;  the  other  to  the  family  of  earth.  The  former  touches 
incidentally  on  the  duties  of  parents  and  masters  ;  the  latter 
relates  to  the  duties  of  children  and  servants.  The  one  respects 
the  "  honour"  due  to  the  Great  Father  of  all ;  the  other  that 
wliich  is  due  to  His  natural  representative  and  type  among 
men. 

V.  13-17.  These  verses  contain  the  five  precepts  regarding 
equals.  Three  of  these  refer  to  deeds,  one  to  words,  and  one 
to  thoughts.  They  guard  the  life,  the  chastity,  the  property, 
and  the  character  of  our  neighbour,  not  only  from  the  outward 
act,  but  from  the  inward  thought  of  violence.  It  is  indeed  in 
all  cases  the  intent  that  gives  moral  character  to  the  act. 

THE  SIXTH  COMMANDMENT. 

v.  13.  This  commandment  protcct.s  life,  and  is  against  all 
endeavours  that  endanger  the  life  of  our  neighbour.  As  there 
is  no  object  expressed,  it  prohibits  suicide  as  well  as  homicide. 
It  also  forbids  violence,  passion,  lust,  intemperance  in  eating 


222  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

or  drinking,  or  anything  that  tends  to  shorten  life.  The 
peculiar  sacredness  of  human  life  lies  in  this,  that  man  is  a 
responsible  being,  liable  to  be  rewarded  or  punished  accfjrding 
to  his  deeds.  Life  is  the  reward  of  obedience,  and  death  is 
the  penalty  of  disobedience.  The  circumstance  that  this  life 
is  to  the  sinner  the  season  of  invitation  to  return  to  God,  who 
will  have  mercy  on  him,  deepens  immeasurably  the  crime  of 
cutting  short  his  life  in  the  midst  of  his  impenitence.  All  these 
considerations  are  wrapped  up  in  the  paramount  reflection  that 
man  was  created  in  the  image  of  God.  Life  is  also  used  in  a 
pregnant  sense  in  Scripture.  It  rises  from  the  mere  natural 
life  to  the  spiritual  life,  which  is  rekindled  in  the  dead  soul 
by  the  Spirit  of  life  through  the  word  of  life.  This  widens 
immensely  the  scope  of  this  commandment.  And  if  we  now 
advance  from  the  mere  negation  of  refraininor  from  evil  to  the 
position  of  abounding  in  good,  we  behold  opening  before  us  a 
boundless  prospect  of  well  doing  for  the  children  of  God. 

THE  SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  ]  4.  This  commandment  sanctions  marriage  and  prohibits 
fornication,  adultery,  and  all  unchaste  acts.  Among  mankind, 
who  ai'e  naturally  gifted  with  reason  and  conscience,  the  coha- 
biting of  the  sexes  ought  to  be  after  the  solemn  compact  of 
lawful  wedlock  by  mutual  consent.  Marriage  ought  to  be 
between  one  man  and  one  woman,  who  are  not  within  the 
forbidden  degrees  of  consanguinity.  Nothing  dissolves  its 
bonds  but  adultery.  Married  life  is  not  sinful  or  defiling. 
On  the  other  hand  it  calls  forth  some  of  the  tenderest,  fairest, 
finest  feelings  of  humanity ;  and  gives  scope  for  as  high  and 
holy  duties  as  any  isolation  in  life.,  This  commandment  guards 
the  home  from  the  external  intruder  on  its  chastity,  as  the 
fifth  does  from  the  internal  disturber  of  its  peace. 

The  formation  of  the  woman  out  of  the  man  indicates  in  a 
striking  and  beautiful  manner  the  unity  of  the  married  pair. 
The  fourth  and  fifth  commandments  concur  with  this  in  pre- 
supposing a  parity  of  right  between  the  husband  and  wife. 
The  law  of  Moses  and  the  law  of  Christ  agree  in  vindicating 
the  natural  right  of  woman  against  the  arbitrar}'-  miglit  of  man. 
And  Judaism  and  Christianity  have  been  honourably  distin- 


EXODUS  XX.  It.  223 

gui&hed  among  the  nations  for  respecting  the  ngl)ts  of  the 
wea  ccr  sex.  This  is  the  more  remaikable,  as  they  both  origi- 
nated in  the  East,  where  the  harem  prevails. 

^[arriagc  has  hoea  peculiarly  ennobled  by  being  employed 
to  ty|)ify  the  union  between  God  and  His  people  ;  while  apos- 
tiisy  has  been  odiously  branded  as  fornication  and  adultery. 

THE  EinilTII  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  15.  This  precept  guards  property,  and  is  directed  against 
taking  that  which  does  not  belong  to  us,  whether  by  violence  or 
fraud.  The  most  heinous  breach  of  this  commandment  is  the 
stealing  of  man.  If  ])ro})erty  be  taken  in  a  large  sense,  this 
precept  includes  the  two  ])receding,  as  the  life  and  the  body 
are  strictly  property.  If  it  embrace  what  belongs  to  another 
as  a  debt  or  a  right,  then  this  connnandment  covers  the  whole 
field  of  relative  duty.  The  Maker  is  the  only  ultimate  pro- 
prietor. Not  a  tree  of  the  garden  belongs  to  Adam,  till  the 
Creator  makes  the  definite  grant.  All  men  are  equal  in  point 
of  natural  right.  The  only  natural  superioi'ity  is  that  of  the 
])arent.  All  other  authority  of  man  over  man,  is  by  covenant 
or  tacit  consent.  This,  then,  is  the  most  comprehensive  of  all 
the  commandments.  And  it  occu})ies  the  central  place  among 
the  laws  between  equals. 

The  three  preceding  commandments  refer  to  action,  and  in 
this  we  see  a  warrant  for  grouping  them  in  one  verse,  as  is 
done  in  some  manuscripts.  They  also  bear  a  certain  analogy 
to  the  first  two  or  three  connnandments.  To  have  another 
god  is  a  practical  annihilation  of  the  true  God.  Idolatry  is  a 
spiritual  adultery.  Stealing,  in  a  large  sense,  will  include 
taking  the  name  of  God  in  vain.  It  is  in  one  sense  the  only 
thinij  of  whj'^h  we  can  rob  God. 


THE  NINTH  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  1 G.  This  commandment  refers  to  speech,  enjoins  truth, 
and  is  directed  against  falsehood.  It  covers  the  same  ground 
as  the  preceding  three  ;  as  falsehood  may  imperil  life,  chastity, 
or  property.  It  assumes  its  darkest  form  when  the  falsehood 
is  uttered  avow*^dly  in  the  presence  of  God,  who  seai'cbes  the 


224  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

heart,  and  will  bring  every  word  into  judgment.  In  this 
aspect  it  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  third  command  nient 
which  the  three  preceding  do  to  the  first  two  or  chree. 
Besides  the  common  applications  of  this  law,  its  importance  is 
enhanced  by  the  circumstances,  that  most  of  our  information 
concerning  the  present  or  the  past,  comes  to  us  in  the  form 
of  lancrua^e,  and  that  our  knowledge  of  God,  of  His  work, 
and  of  His  grace,  is  conveyed  to  us  in  His  word.  The  eter- 
nal, then,  as  well  as  the  temporal  interests  of  man,  are  linked 
with  spoken  and  written  words.  How  awful,  then,  the  re- 
sponsibility of  those  who  are  endowed  with  the  faculty  of 
speech. 

THE  TENTH  COMMANDMENT. 

V.  1 7.  This  commandment  refers  to  the  thoughts,  inculcates 
disinterestedness,  and  prohibits  indulging  a  desire  after  that 
which  belongs  to  another.  The  first  clause  is  followed  by  a 
closed  space  indicating  a  subordinate  separation  from  the  fol- 
lowing clauses.  The  verb  is  also  repeated  at  the  beginning 
of  the  second  clause,  intimating  a  marked  distinction,  and 
warranting  a  certain  pause,  though  not  a  sub-division  of  the 
decalogue.  The  transposal  of  the  first  two  clauses  in  Deut. 
(v.  21)  is  sufiicient  to  show  that  in  the  estimate  of  the  tran- 
scriber tbe  two  were  included  in  one  of  the  ten  words.  This 
precept,  also,  is  co-extensive  with  the  three  precepts  referring 
to  the  outward  acts.  A  man  cannot  covet  his  neighbour's 
life ;  but  he  may  desire  his  death,  if  it  would  make  way  for 
his  acquiring  possession  of  any  coveted  thing  that  belonged 
to  him.  In  the  arrangement  of  the  present  book,  "  the 
house "  is  placed  first.  This  is  generally  understood  of  the 
material  building  in  which  a  man  dwells.  We  prefer  regard- 
ing the  prominent  thought  implied  in  it  here  to  be  the  family, 
including  the  parents,  and  especially  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  all  living  generations:  inasmuch  as,  1,  the  other  objects 
specified  are  living  creatures,  and  "anything  that  is  thy 
neighbour's "  includes  the  goods  and  lands ;  2,  the  children 
are  not  otherwise  mentioned,  though  of  more  importance  than 
servants  or  cattle  ;  3,  a  due  subordination  is  thus  introduced 
into   the   details,  the   house  coming   first    as    including   the 


EXODUS  XX.  17.  225 

parents  and  children,  the  wife  next,  as  the  separaltlc  ])art  of 
the  neighbour,  and  then  the  servants,  cattle,  and  inanimate 
objects.  In  Deuteronomy  the  prominent  thought  in  "  liou.se" 
seems  to  be  the  material  building  ;  and  hence  the  wife,  who 
is  also  the  mother,  and  includes  the  children,  is  placed  first, 
the  house  and  the  field  are  associated  together  in  the  next 
place,  the  service  by  which  these  are  rendered  comfortable 
and  profitable  has  the  third  rank,  and  the  products  of  their 
labour  hold  the  last.  The  arrangement  in  Exodus  corresponds 
closely  with  the  three  precepts  concerning  the  outward 
acts  ;  as  the  sixth  commandment  bears  upon  the  family  in  its 
■widest  sense,  the  seventh  especially  on  the  wife,  and  the 
eighth  in  some  sense  upon  the  servants,  the  cattle,  and  the 
goods. 

The  improper  desire  is  the  root  of  all  evil.  It  can  seldom 
be  reached  by  human  legislation.  But  it  is  open  to  the 
Searcher  of  hearts.  The  intent  is  that  which,  in  the  last  re- 
sort, determines  the  moral  character  of  the  act.  This  last 
"  word "  is,  therefore,  the  interpreting  clause  of  the  whole 
decalogue  (Rom.  vii.  7).  It  raises  the  code  immeasurably 
above  every  code  of  man  who  looketh  on  the  outward  appear- 
ance of  conduct,  and  at  once  renders  it  worthy  of  the  Lord 
who  looketh  on  the  heart.  Covetousness  here  includes  envy, 
malice,  and  every  other  selfish  or  unholy  state  of  the  feelings. 
Its  prohibition  involves  the  inculcation  not  merely  of  disin- 
terestedness, but  of  all  the  forms  of  unselfish  benevolence. 
This  commandment  is,  therefore,  virtually  the  law  of  love,  and 
in  this  positive  sense  gives  that  loftier  aspect  to  the  decalogue, 
the  traces  of  which  have  been  already  noticed. 

As  the  ninth  commandment  is  related  to  the  third,  so  the 
tenth  has  several  points  of  relation  with  the  fourth.  1.  It 
enjoins  disinterestedness,  and  the  observance  of  a  seventh  day's 
rest  is  a  most  powerful  and  practical  demand  for  the  same 
state  of  the  affections.  2.  It  contains  an  enumeration  of  the 
inmates  and  surroundings  of  the  home  ;  and  the  fourth  com- 
mandment does  the  same,  and  with  much  of  the  same  intent. 
3.  It  strikes  at  the  root  of  all  inhumanity  in  the  words  and 
acts  of  men  ;  and  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  strikes  at  the  root 
of  all  ungodliness  in  a  world  that  is  prone  to  secularity.  There 
is  no  command  of  the  decalogue  by  which  the  public  sense  of 

P 


226  THE  MORAL  LAW. 

religious  obligation  has  been  so  deeply  tried  and  found  want- 
ing as  the  fourth  ;  and  the  obvious  and  almost  avowed  spring 
of  all  worldly  opposition  and  natural  antipathy  to  it  is  the 
selfish,  grasping,  avaricious  spirit  which  is  condemned  in  the 
tenth. 

This  brings  out  a  curious  proof  of  the  internal  coherence  of 
these  ten  words.  If  we  connect  together  the  first  and  second 
commandment  and  likewise  form  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth 
that  relate  to  the  outward  conduct  into  one  gTOup,  we  bring 
to  view  a  remarkable  analogy  between  the  former  and  the 
latter ;  and  the  same  analogy  appears  between  the  third  and 
ninth,  and  between  the  fourth  and  tenth.  Thus  the  law  is 
found  to  fall  naturally  into  a  sevenfold  division,  three  mem- 
bers of  which  relating  to  God  are  before  the  fifth  command- 
ment, and  three  relating  to  man  after  this  central  precept  relat- 
ing to  parents.  The  number  ten  points  to  the  perfection  of  this 
code,  and  this  internal  septenary  arrangement  to  its  holiness. 
There  is,  therefore,  a  wonderful  display  of  unity  and  compre- 
hensiveness in  this  moral  discourse.  While  adopting  the 
concrete  form  that  comes  home  to  the  common  mind,  it  em- 
bodies at  the  same  time  in  its  familiar  examples  all  the  great 
abstract  principles  of  moral  truth.  The  mild  voice  of  a  pater- 
nal authority  is  heard  in  it,  inasmuch  as  while  it  warns  the 
decided  or  defiant  apostate  of  certain  retribution,  it  whispers 
mercy  to  every  returning  penitent.  It  is  addressed,  no  doubt, 
to  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  alludes  to  their  recent  deliverance 
from  bondage  ;  but  it  purports  to  be  the  utterance  of  the 
Almighty,  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth.  It  does  not  suf- 
fer any  limitation  by  being  proclaimed  to  that  portion  of  the 
human  race  which  remained  in  professed  communion  with 
God,  since  it  forewarns  the  apostate  nations  of  approaching 
visitation,  and  clothes  its  precepts  in  the  garb  of  denunciations 
against  their  most  glaring  sins.  Many  of  its  precepts  are  of 
universal  and  eternal  obligation,  and  none  of  them  is  narrower 
than  the  whole  compass  and  duration  of  the  human  race  on 
earth.  To  the  heirs  of  immortality,  when  they  have  become 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  when  .they  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage,  and  have  more  thinos  common  than 
air  and  water,  the  principles  contained  in  the  sixth,  seventh, 
and  eighth  commandments,  if  they  require  to  be  republished. 


EXODUS  XX.  18-21.  227 

will  assume  a  new  form  adapted  to  their  new  condition.  But 
the  principles  themselves,  and  even  the  form  in  which  they 
arc  now  presented,  can  never  cease  to  be  self-evident  and  self- 
binding. 

V.  18-21.   The  effect  of  the   spectacle  which   Mount  Sinai 
presented   upon  the  people  is  here  described.      We   may  sup- 
pose that  the  awful  silence  which  prevailed  during  the  delivery 
of  the  law  was  followed  bv  a  return  of  the  thunderincfs  and 
the  lightnings,  and  the  clang  of  the  trumpet.      All  Ike,  jieople 
saw.     The  verb  is  here  used  in  a  pregnant  sense.     They  saw 
the  scene  which  was  accom{)anied  by  the  drojid  crashing  of  the 
elements   and   the   thrilling   notes   of  that   unearthly   cornet. 
They  drew  back  and  stood  afar  of.      The  solemnities  of  the 
divine  presence  beget  the  feeling  of  reverential  awe,  under  the 
influence  of  which  they  retire  to  a  respectfnl  distance.      They 
have  no  more  any  doubt  of  the  divine  commission  of  Moses ; 
and  they  entreat  by  their  elders  that  God  would  speak  to  them 
through  Moses,  and  not  directly  and  personally,  lest  they  die. 
Human  consciousness  in  its  fallen  state  shrinks  from  imme- 
diate   contact    with    God    (v.    20).      Moses    pronounces    the 
encouraging  word,  Fear  not,  a  word  long  remembered  after- 
ward (Hag.  ii.  5).      To  prove  you.     The  test  of  their  fidelity 
to   the  Lord  their  God  was  the  law  which  was   now  promul- 
gated from  Sinai  with  all  the  advantages  of  the  immediate 
presence  and  audible  voice  of  God.     Faith  in  God  is  a  dead 
form,  if  it  do  not  bring  forth   the  fruit  of  penitence  and  obe- 
dience.     Hence  he  sets  before  them  in  the  most  conspicuous 
light  the  standard  of  a  perfect  morality  that  he  may  prove 
thorn,  that  his  fear  vi ay  he  before  thevithat  they  sin  not.     The 
signal  demonstrations  of  his  presence  and  power  will  leave  them 
without  the  excuse  of  any  obscurity  in  the  oracles  they  have 
received,  and  awaken  a  salutary  sense  of  the  infinite  majesty 
and  sanctity  of  the  Supreme  (v.  21).     And  Moses  dreiu  near 
to  tJie  thick  darkness  where  God  was.    We  learn  from  the  sup- 
plementary narrative    of  Deuteronomy  that   Moses  communi- 
cated the  petition  of  the  people  to  the  Lord,  who  was  pleased 
therewith,  and  gave  them  leave  to  retire  to  their  tents  (Deut. 
V.  28). 

V.  22-2G.  The  altar.     The  paragraph  now  before  us  is  tiie 
close  after  the  ten  words  and  the  preface  to  the  legislation  of 


228  THE  ALTAR. 

the  three  following  chapters.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  message 
to  Israel.  It  reminds  them  of  the  palpable  fact  that  he  had 
spoken  to  them  from  heaven,  v.  23.  Ye  shall  not  make  with 
me  any  idol.  The  construction  here  is  remarkable.  The  first 
"  make "  has  no  object  expressed.  It  is  designed  to  make 
emphatic  the  accompanying  "  with  me,"  by  which  the  exclusive 
unity  of  the  godhead  is  intimated.  The  object  is  then  supplied 
and  the  verb  repeated. 

V.  24.  An  altar.  This  prohibition  to  make  any  image  of 
God  is  designed  to  introduce  the  permission  or  injunction  to 
make  an  altar  to  him.  The  only  outward  thing  in  the  salva- 
tion of  the  soul  is  the  atonement.  The  necessity  of  propitia- 
tion is  accordingly  symbolised  in  the  altar.  The  mercy  of 
God  needs  no  type,  and  has  its  place  in  the  proclamation  on 
Sinai.  The  propitiation,  which  makes  way  for  his  mercy  to 
the  penitent  sinner  by  satisfying  his  justice,  has  its  type  in 
the  altar  and  the  sacrifice  thereon.  This  special  provision  for 
the  salvation  of  sinners,  though  it  would  be  out  of  place  in 
the  ten  words,  yet  forms  the  main  substance  of  all  that  is 
shadowed  forth  in  the  whole  ceremonial  law.  It,  therefore, 
comes  in  here  as  the  necessary  antecedent  of  all  acceptable 
approaching  to  God  and  walking  with  him.  The  word  altar 
connects  Moses  and  the  people  of  Israel  with  Noah  and  his 
rescued  family  (Gen.  viii.  20).  Of  earth.  Earth  was  the 
.scene  of  man's  sin ;  it  is  also  to  be  the  scene  of  the  sacrifice 
for  sin.  The  altar  of  earth  is  merely  the  definite  spot  of  this 
earth  set  apart  for  sacrifice  and  elevated  to  raise  the  offering 
towards  God  who  is  in  heaven.  Thy  burnt  offenngs.  The 
two  great  classes  of  offerings  are  the  expiatory  and  the  eu- 
charistic.  The  former  is  here  represented  by  the  n^V  or  burnt- 
offering  (Gen.  viii.  20),  which  implies  on  the  part  of  the  offerer 
the  confession  of  guilt  and  of  the  need  of  an  atonement.  And 
thy  ijeace-offering.  This  is  that  species  of  offering  which  was 
designed  to  express  the  thanksgiving  of  the  offerer  for  peace 
with  God  or  any  of  its  attendant  benefits.  It  was  also  ex- 
pressive of  devotedness  to  him.  Thy  sheep  and  thine  oxen. 
The  ordinary  kinds  of  animals  employed  in  sacrifice.  Goats 
were  included  along  with  the  sheep.  In  every  place  ^vhere  I 
record  7ny  name,  where  I  cause  my  name  to  be  remembered 
and  invoked.     This  intimates  some  change  of  the  place  where 


EXODUS  XXI.  229 

the  altar  was  to  be  erected.  The  patriarchs  were  wont  to 
build  an  altar  wherever  God  appeared  to  them.  /  will  come 
unto  thee  and  bless  thee.  The  presence  and  the  buuiity  of  God 
are  here  promised. 

V.  25,  2G.  llie  altar  may  be  of  stones,  if  unhewn.  It  is 
thus  entirely  a  work  of  God  and  so  in  keeping  with  that  pro- 
pitiation whicli  comes  entirely  from  God.  //  thou  lift  up 
thy  tool  upon  it,  thou  dost  pollute  it.  This  teaches  by  a  figure 
that  the  .sinner  only  defiles,  and  therefore  cannot  liave  any 
part  in  atoning.  The  altar  of  rude  stone  was  common  amono- 
the  ancient  nations.  Motives  of  decency  dictated  that  the 
altar  Wiis  not  to  be  approached  by  steps. 

The  prescri{)tion  here  concerning  the  altar  appears  in  the 
most  general  form.  The  details  of  legislation  on  this  subject 
will  appear  in  their  proper  place. 


XII.    THE  CIVIL  LAW. EXOD.  XXI.-XXIV. 

CHAP.  XXL    LAWS  OF  SERVITUDE  AND  PERSONAL  SAFETY. 

And  these  are  the  judgments  which  thou  shalt  set  before  them. 
2  When  thou  gettest  a  Hebrew  servant,  six  years  shall  he  serve; 
and  in  the  seventh  lie  shall  go  out  free  for  nothing.  3  If  he  come  in 
by  himself,  he  shall  go  out  by  himself :  if  he  be  married,  then  his 
wife  shall  go  out  with  him.  4  If  his  master  give  him  a  wife,  and  she 
have  borne  him  sons  or  daughters,  the  wife  and  her  chiMrcn  shall  be 
her  masters,  and  he  shall  go  out  by  himself.  5  And  if  the  servant 
shall  plainly  say,  I  love  my  master,  my  wife  and  my  children ;  I  will 
not  go  out  free  :  6  Then  his  master  shall  bring  him  unto  God  :  and 
shall  bring  him  to  the  door  or  to  the  door  post ;  and  his  master  shall 
bore  his  ear  through  with  an  awl ;  and  he  shall  serve  for  ever.  §  32. 

7  And  when  a  man  sells  his  daughter  to  be  a  maid-servant,  she  shall 
not  go  out  as  the  men-servants  do.  8  If  she  please  not  her  master, 
who  hath  not  betrothed  her,  then  he  shall  let  her  be  redeemed  :  to 
sell  her  to  a  strange  pe(jple  he  shall  have  no  power,  when  he  hath 
deceived  her.  9  And  if  he  betroth  her  to  his  sou,  he  shall  deal  with 
her  after  the  manner  of  daughters.  10  If  he  take  him  another  wife, 
her  food,  her  raiment,  and  her  duty  of  marriage,  shall  he  not  diminish. 
1 1  And  if  he  do  not  these  three  unto  her,  then  shall  she  go  out  free 
without  money.  §  33 


230  THE  CIVIL  LAW. 

12  He  that  smiteth  a  man,  so  that  he  die,  shall  be  surely  put  to 
death.  13  And  if  a  man  lie  not  in  wait,  hut  God  deliver  him  into 
his  hand,  then  I  will  appoint  thee  a  place  whither  he  shall  flee.  §  34. 
14  But  if  a  man  come  presumptuously  on  his  neighbour  to  slay  him 
with  guile,  thou  shalt  take  him  from  mine  altar  to  put  hira  to  death. 
§  85.  15  And  he  that  smiteth  his  father  or  his  mother  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death.  §  36.  16  And  he  that  stealeth  a 

man  and  selleth  him,  or  in  whose  hand  he  is  found,  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death.  §37.  17  He  that  curseth  his  father  or  his 

mother  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.  §  38. 

18  And  if  men  quarrel,  and  one  smite  another  with  a  stone  or  with 
his  fist,  and  he  die  not,  but  is  laid  on  his  bed  :  19  If  he  rise  and 
walk  abroad  on  his  staff,  then  shall  he  that  smote  him  be  quit ;  only 
he  shall  pay  for  his  loss  of  time,  and  cause  him  to  be  thoroughly 
healed.  §  39. 

20  And  if  a  man  smite  his  servant  or  his  maid  with  a  rod,  and  he 
die  under  his  hand,  he  shall  surely  be  punished.  21  But  if  he  con- 
tinue a  day  or  two,  he  shall  not  be  punished  :  for  he  is  his  money. 

§  40. 

22  And  if  men  strive,  and  hurt  a  woman  with  child,  so  that  her 
fruit  depart  from  her  and  no  mischief  follow,  he  shall  be  surely  fined, 
according  as  the  woman's  husband  will  lay  upon  him,  and  he  shall 
give  as  the  judges  determine.  23  And  if  mischief  follow,  then  thou 
shalt  give  life  for  life.  24  Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for 
hand,  foot  for  foot.  25  Burning  for  burning,  wound  for  wound, 
stripe  for  stripe.  §  41. 

26  And  if  a  man  smite  the  eye  of  his  servant,  or  the  eye  of  his 
maid  that  it  perish,  he  shall  let  him  go  free  for  his  eye's  sake.  27 
And  if  he  knock  out  the  tooth  of  his  servant,  or  the  tooth  of  his 
maid,  he  shall  let  him  go  free  for  his  tooth's  sake.  ^  34. 

28  And  if  an  ox  gore  a  man  or  a  woman  and  he  die,  the  ox  shall 
be  surely  stoned,  and  his  flesh  shall  not  be  eaten ;  but  the  owner  of 
the  ox  shall  be  quit :  29  But  if  the  ox  were  wont  to  gore  in  time 
past,  and  it  hath  been  testified  to  his  owner,  and  he  hath  not  kept 
him  in,  and  he  hath  killed  a  man  or  a  Avoman,  the  ox  shall  be  stoned, 
and  his  owner  also  shall  be  put  to  death,  30  If  a  price  be  laid  ou 
him,  then  he  shall  give  for  the  ransom  of  his  life  whatsoever  is  laid 
upon  him.  31  Whether  he  gore  a  son  or  gore  a  daughter,  according 
to  this  judgment  shall  it  be  done  unto  him.  32  If  the  ox  gore  a  ser- 
vant or  a  maid,  he  shall  give  unto  his  master  thirty  shekels  of  silver, 
and  the  ox  shall  be  stoned.         §  42.  33  And  if  a  man  shall 

open  a  pit,  or  if  a  man  dig  a  pit  and  cover  it  not,  and  an  ox  or  an  ass 


EXODUS  XXI.    1.  231 

fall  therein  ;   3i  The  owner  of  tho  pit  shall  make  it  good  :   llio  money 
he  shall  return  to  its  owner,  and  the  dead  beast  shall  be  his.       §  43, 

35  And  if  one  man's  ox  gore  another's,  and  it  die,  then  they  shall 
sell  the  live  ox  and  divide  the  money  of  it ;  and  the  dead  ox  also  they 
shall  divide.  3G  Or  if  it  be  known  that  the  ox  was  wont  to  gore  in 
time  past,  and  his  owner  did  not  keep  him  in,  he  shall  surely  pay  ox 
for  ox,  and  tho  dead  shall  bo  his.  §  44. 

V.  1.  And  these  are  the  judgments  which  thou  shalt  set 
before  them..  This  is  the  heading  of  the  four  chapters  which 
contain  the  civil  ])olity  of  the  Jewish  theocracy.  It  will  aid 
very  much  the  intelligent  perusal  of  these  chapters  if  we  mark 
the  orderly  arrangement  of  the  topics  of  which  they  treat. 
Tiie  main  features  of  this  arrangement  have  been  grasped  by 
the  Hebrew  and  Christian  expositors.  With  some  variance 
from  the  usual  division,  and  some  endeavour  after  a  more 
extensive  elucidation,  it  is  exhibited  in  the  following  scheme  : — 

I.  Of  servitude,      .     . 
II.  Of  personal  safety, 

III.  Of  property,       .     . 

IV.  Of  conjugal  fidelity, 
V.  Of  veracity,        .     . 

VI.  Of  set  .times,      .     . 
VTL  Of  piety,       .     .     . 

The  first  of  these  sections  refere  to  the  duties  of  masters  and 
servants,  and  is,  therefore,  a  natural  expansion  of  the  fifth  com- 
mandment, which  relates  to  parents  and  children.  The  second 
treats  of  injuries  destroying  or  endangering  life,  and  hence 
comes  under  the  sixth  commandment.  The  third,  relating  to 
property,  is  an  expansion  of  the  eighth.  The  fourth  is  of  a 
somewhat  diversified  character.  But  its  various  precejits 
bear  upon  the  mai-riage  vow  either  between  husband  and 
wife,  or  between  God  and  His  people.  The  injunctions  con- 
cerning the  stranger,  the  widow  and  orphan,  and  the  poor, 
will  naturally  come  imder  the  latter  head,  if  we  remember 
that  God  avouches  Himself  the  guardian  of  all  such.  This 
section  is  thus  analogous  to  the  seventh  commandment.  The 
fifth  section,  on  truthfulness  and  integiity  in  witness-bearing 
and  judging,  developes  the  ninth  commandment.     The  sixth. 


XXL   111,       .       . 

5th  Commandment. 

xxi.  12-32,  .     . 

0th 

j> 

xxi.  33 — xxiL  14, 

,  8th 

)> 

xxii.  15-30,      . 

7  th 

,, 

xxiii.  1-9,    .     . 

9  th 

V 

xxiii.  10-19,     . 

4th 

»» 

xxiii.  20-33,     . 

10th 

» 

232  THE  CIVIL  LAW. 

on  the  observance  of  set  times,  finds  its  germ  in  the  fourth 
word  of  the  decalogue.  The  seventh,  on  the  acknowledging, 
worshipping,  and  serving  of  Jehovah  alone,  who  searches  the 
hearts  and  estimates  the  motives,  is  closely  allied  with  the 
tenth  commandment. 

It  follows  that  the  civil  code  is  capable  of  being  divided 
into  seven  sections  con-esponding  with  the  last  seven  precepts 
of  the  decalogue,  though  exhibiting  a  different  order.  The 
order  depends  in  each  case  on  the  material  to  be  arranged 
and  the  end  to  be  attained.  There  the  matter  was  the  moral 
relation  between  the  Creator  and  a  race  of  intellio-ent  creatures, 
and  the  end  a  compend  of  universal  law.  Here  the  matter  is 
the  moral  relation  between  the  Sovereign  and  his  subjects, 
and  the  end  a  code  of  civil  jurisprudence.  Here  the  subject 
of  law  is  regarded — 1,  as  a  master  ;  2,  as  a  neighbour  ;  3,  as 
an  owner ;  4,  as  a  consort ;  5,  as  a  speaker  ;  6,  as  a  disposer 
of  time  ;  and  7,  as  a  child  of  God.  The  basis  of  this  arrange- 
ment appears  to  be  a  gradation  in  the  rights  and  responsibili- 
ties of  man.  It  is  manifest  that  the  first  section  touches  upon 
his  lowest  stage,  and  tlie  last  upon  his  highest.  The  serf  is 
one  who  is  denuded  of  some  part  of  his  natural  rights.  The 
neighbour  is  in  possession  of  that  great  original  right  of  one 
creature  against  every  other,  namely,  the  inviolability  of  his 
person.  The  owner  is  invested  with  certain  additional  rights, 
acquired  originally  by  the  grant  of  the  Creator,  which  is  the 
onljT-  just  title  to  property.  The  consort  indicates  a  still 
higher  degree  of  responsibility,  as  the  social  compact  which  it 
involves  brings  into  view  reason  and  will,  and  fidelity  and 
trust.  The  speaker  as  endowed  with  the  organ  of  that  so- 
ciality which  is  implied  in  the  consort.  The  occupant  of  time 
has  within  his  power  the  set  time  of  meeting,  private  or  pub- 
lic, which  affords  the  possibility  of  social  conference.  The 
child  of  God  rises  to  the  highest  privileges  of  social  happiness 
in  the  great  family  of  heaven  and  earth.  A  piece  of  composi- 
tion that  admits  of  such  analysis  must  have  an  internal  har- 
mony and  unity. 

Bertheau,  and  after  him  Baumgarten,  maintain  that  as  the 
"  ten  words  "  constitute  the  m-eat  decaloo-ue,  so  each  of  these 
sections  forms  a  minor  decalogue.  There  is,  we  conceive,  some 
tenable  OTound  for  this  subdivision.     This   briuirs  out  in  a 


EXODUS  XXI.  12-32.  233 

striking  liglifc  tlic  wonderful  system  lying  in  the  structure  of 
tliis  seemingly  unconnected  collection  of  injunctions.  Seven 
groups  of  ten  precepts  each  form  the  fundamental  polity  of 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel. 

The  judgrtieyits.  These  arc  decisions  on  points  of  law  that 
may  arise  between  man  and  man.  They  are  therefore  autho- 
ritative sentences  or  precepts  for  the  regulation  of  civil  society. 


I.    LAWS  OF  SERVITUDE. 

V.  2-1 1.  Here  are  ten  verses  containing  the  first  decade  of 
laws.  They  relate  to  serfdom,  or  the  degraded  state  of  man 
in  which  he  is  stripped  of  some  of  his  natural  rights.  The 
only  natural  rights  are  rights  of  person,  such  as  liberty,  life, 
and  inviolability  of  person.  Offenders  against  the  law  are  in 
all  states  deprived  of  some  or  most  of  these  rights  as  the 
penalty  of  their  offence.  Even  insolvency  in  some  states  has 
involved  the  loss  of  liberty  and  life.  Captives  in  war  have 
been  often  treated  as  offenders  against  the  state,  and  consigned 
to  bondage  for  life.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  withdrawal 
of  freedijm,  or  the  imposition  of  labour  for  a  term  of  years,  or 
for  life,  according  to  the  degree  of  the  offence,  is  a  legitimate 
mode  of  state  punishment.  Hence  serfdom  and  forced  labour 
are  warrantable  in  the  case  of  crime.  Even  the  apprenticeship 
of  six  years  for  the  acquisition  of  handicraft,  or  any  other 
craft,  such  as  domestic  service,  with  proper  restrictions,  might 
be  an  improvement  on  our  social  sj'^stem.  And  in  ancient 
times,  when  servitude  merely  meant  the  performance  of  service 
with  the  understood  condition  of  receiving  food  and  raiment 
in  return,  many  were  glad  to  accept  the  terms  without  stipu- 
lating for  a  personal  freedom  which  was  to  them  of  no  prac- 
tical value.  The  present  decade  of  laws  does  not  institute 
servitude,  or  commit  itself  to  the  approbation  of  eveiy  kind 
of  bondage.  It  merely  implies  that  some  form  of  it,  such  as 
that  of  criminals  under  correction,  or  the  dependent  who  volun- 
tarily enters  into  it,  is  admissible.  It  recognises  the  fact  of 
its  existence,  without  entering  into  the  origin  of  this  degraded 
condition.  The  decade  of  precepts  is  divided  into  two  fives, 
each  beginning  with  when  (^3,  v.  2,  7),  followed  by  four  ifs 


234  LAWS  OF  SERVITUDE. 

(DS),  The  former  five  relate  to  the  man  servant,  the  latter  to 
the  maid-servant. 

V.  2.  If  thou  get,  acquire  in  any  way,  it  may  be  by  the 
voluntary  offer  of  the  individual,  who  sometimes  sold  himself 
into  servitude,  such  as  is  here  contemplated,  as  a  means  of 
improving  his  temporal  condition  (Lev.  xxv.  39,  Deut.  xv.  12). 
A  Hebrew  servant  A  servant  is  merely  a  labourer.  The 
term  does  not  of  itself  indicate  the  loss  of  freedom.  We  see 
no  reason  why  the  term  Hebrew  should  not  be  taken  here  in 
its  full  extent  of  meaning  as  a  descendant  of  Heber,  at  least 
as  far  as  this  relationship  still  lived  in  the  memories  of  men, 
and  no  disturbing  event  interfered  with  its  application.  We 
have  no  doubt  that  in  process  of  time  the  term  was  gradually 
narrowed  in  application  until  it  came  to  be  of  the  same  extent, 
though  not  precisely  of  the  same  meaning,  with  Israelite  or 
Jew,  This  first  decision  limits  the  period  of  servitude  for  a 
Hebrew  to  six  years.  As,  however,  all  the  Hebrew  servants 
became  free  in  the  jubilee,  or  fiftieth  year  (Lev.  xxv.  10,  40), 
this  period  would  be  shortened  if  it  commenced  within  the  six 
years  immediately  before  the  jubilee.  It  is  plain  frora  this  sta- 
tute that  the  involuntary  servitude  of  a  Hebrew  could  not  be 
prolonged  beyond  six  years.  He  then  goes  out  free/o*  nothing, 
or  without  any  redemption.  Nay,  it  is  further  enjoined  in 
Deut.  XV.  12,  18,  that  he  shall  be  furnished  with  a  stock  to 
enable  him  to  enter  upon  a  life  of  self-dependence. 

V.  8.  This  verse  contains  two  enactments,  that  are  the  com- 
plements of  one  whole.  He  that  comes  in  hy  himself  with 
his  body  only,  shall  go  out  by  himself  But  if  he  come  in 
married,  his  wife  also  shall  go  out  with  him  at  the  end  of  the 
six  years.  This  includes  no  doubt  the  family,  if  any,  as  they 
go  with  the  mother. 

V.  4.  The  fourth  decides  that  in  case  his  master  give  him  a 
wife,  she  and  her  children  shall  remain  with  the  master,  when 
the  husband  goes  free.  The  wife  belonged  to  the  master. 
The  children  go  with  her  who  can  tend  them  in  their  infant 
years,  and  sustain  them  out  of  her  master's  abundance.  The 
difference  in  condition  between  the  husband  and  his  wife  does 
not  however  necessarily  dissolve  the  tie  of  wedlock  between 
them.  The  husband's  "  going  out  by  himself,"  simply  means 
that  his  wife  does  not  share  his  freedom  with  him.     It  does 


Exoijus  XXI.  7-1  1.  235 

not  of  itself  dissolve  the  marriage  bond.  Tlicy  may  continue 
to  live  as  husband  and  wife,  tliough  it  is  possible  that  in  the 
loose  mannci"s  of  the  times,  the  connection  would  be  sometimes 
entirely  broken  off.  The  liberation  of  the  husband  may  have 
made  it  inconvenient,  difficult,  or  sometimes  impossible  for 
them  to  live  together.  Such  a  case  is  provided  for  in  the  fol- 
lowing enactment. 

V.  5,  6.  The  fifth  clause  of  this  section  presents  a  very 
agreeable  aspect  of  servitude  as  existing  in  Israel.  Shall 
plainly  say,  declare  in  all  the  earnestness  cind  warmth  of  his 
heart.  /  love,  I  have  learned  to  love  my  master.  /  loill  not 
go  Old  free.  Here  is  a  case  of  voluntary  servitude  and  that 
not  for  a  limited  term  of  years,  v.  G.  Shall  bring  him  unto 
God.  Here  is  the  first  mention  of  the  magistrate  in  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel.  The  supreme  ruler  in  this  singular 
community  is  God  himself.  His  rainisteis,  governors,  and 
juilges,  therefore,  speak  with  an  authority  paramount  to  all 
other.  The  Sept.  aptly  renders  rrphg  ri  y.piTr;piQv  roij  ©toD,  to  the 
court  of  God.  The  freed  man  is  to  make  his  solemn  declara- 
tion "  I  will  not  go  free"  before  the  authorities  of  the  land,  who 
will  see  to  it  that  the  act  is  of  his  own  free  will.  To  the  door 
or  to  the  post,  whichever  is  the  more  suitable.  The  latter  is 
always  available,  but  the  door-leaf  may  sometimes  be  wanting. 
His  master  shall  do  the  act  as  the  chief  party  concerned. 
Bore  his  ear  through  ivith  an  aui.  The  awl  through  the  ear 
is  to  be  driven  into  the  door  or  the  post  (Deut.  xv.  17),  to 
signify  the  permanent  attachment  of  the  bondsman  to  the 
fomily  of  his  master.  And  he  ahall  serve  for  ever.  Josephus 
and  the  Rabbins  explain  this  to  be  a  service  till  the  next 
jubilee.  This  seems  natural,  as  the  i)hrase  "for  ever"  is  to  be 
explained  according  to  the  nature  of  that  to  which  it  is  applied. 
It  could  not  in  this  case  extend  longer  than  the  natural  life  of 
the  servant. 

v.  7-11.  These  five  verses  contain  the  law  of  the  maid- 
servant. To  sell  his  daughter  to  he  a  maidservant  was  partly 
the  resource  of  poverty  and  partly  the  custom  of  the  country. 
It  is  plain  that  the  maid-servant  so  bought  was  to  have  the 
place  of  a  wife  or  a  concubine  either  to  her  purchaser  or  his 
son.  In  either  case  she  is  not  to  go  oid  us  the  men-scit^ants 
do.     If  she  please  her  master,  she  has  an  acknowledged  posi- 


236  LAWS  OF  PERSONAL  SAFETY. 

tion  of  right  in  his  house,  which  the  marriage  bond  secures 
to  her. 

V.  8.  If  she  please  him  not,  and  accordingly  he  do  not  be- 
troth  her  or  give  her  this  rightful  place,  he  shall  let  her  he 
redeemed  by  some  of  her  kindred.  He  is  not  at  liberty  to  sell 
her  to  a  foreigner,  when  he  has  deceived  her  by  refusing  her 
the  rights  of  marriage.  This  last  clause  is  only  a  circumstance 
necessitating  her  release.  The  illegality  of  selling  her  to  a 
foreigner  rests  on  the  fact  of  her  Israelitish  descent. 

V.  9.  If  he  hetroth  her  to  his  son,  she  shall  be  treated  as  a 
daughter  and  not  as  a  bondsmaid.  She  is  to  have  all  the 
privileges  of  a  wife. 

V.  1 0.  If  he  take  him  another  tvife.  This  may  refer  either 
to  the  father  or  the  son.  The  latter  seems  preferable.  A  second 
wife  is  not  to  exclude  tl:»e  former  from  the  rights  of  food, 
raiment,  and  conjugal  intercourse.  Here  again  we  find  the 
law  not  instituting  either  polygamy  or  concubinage,  but  guard- 
inof  the  rights  of  the  wife. 

V.  11.  If  these  three  rights  be  withheld,  the  bondsmaid  is 
to  go  free  without  any  redemption.  A  servitude  in  which 
the  bondsmaid  raio-ht  become  the  honoured  wife  of  the  master 
or  of  his  son,  or  in  case  of  neglect,  be  released  from  her  bond- 
age was  thus  secured  for  the  poor  daughter  of  Israel. 

II.    LAWS  OF  PERSONAL  SAFETY. 

V.  12-32.  From  man  divested  of  the  natural  right  of  free- 
dom we  advance  to  man  invested  with  the  natural  right  of 
personal  inviolability.  This  is  the  most  fundamental  right 
that  belongs  to  intelligent  creatures.  As  they  come  from  the 
hand  of  the  Creator,  one  individual  has  no  right  to  harm 
another,  and  each  has  a  right  to  be  left  unharmed  by  every 
other.  The  Cieator  has  the  authority  and  the  obligation  to 
enforce  this  law  upon  the  intelligent  portion  of  His  creatures  ; 
and  in  a  fallen  state  civil  government  is  instituted  on  the  ulti- 
mate basis  of  the  patriarchal  authority  to  check  its  infringe- 
ment and  guard  personal  safety.  The  special  form  of  personal 
violence  prohibited  in  this  set  of  judgments  is  injury  to  life  or 
limb.  It  is  therefore  an  expansion  of  the  sixth  command- 
ment. The  injury  may  come  directly  from  our  neighbour 
(v.  12-27),  or  indirectly  from  his  ox  (v.  28-32). 


EXODUS  XXI.  12-32.  2  37 

V.  12-14.  Intentional  killing,  or  murder,  is  placed  first. 
The  general  rule  is  first  laid  down.  The  murderer  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death.  No  satisfaction  or  ])ecuniary  fine  was  to  bo 
taken  for  the  life  of  a  murderer.  The  rich  and  the  poor  were 
to  stand  here  on  a  footing  of  perfect  equality  (Num.  xxxv.  31). 
Then  the  two  cases  of  ])renieditated  and  unpremeditated  man- 
slaying  are  distinguished.  //  a  man  lie  not  in  wait.  If  the 
intention  be  not  harboured  in  his  mind,  if  a  plot  be  not  laid. 
But  God  deliver  him  into  his  hand.  Here  the  particular 
providence  of  God  is  recognised  in  the  most  emphatic  manner. 
This  clause  is  merely  the  complement  of  that  which  precedes. 
If  the  slayer  had  no  hand  in  bringing  about  the  meeting,  then 
it  falls  under  the  general  head  of  the  divine  administration. 
It  is  only  the  meeting  of  the  parties  that  is  here  referred  to 
this  head.  The  broader  question  of  the  occurrence  of  all 
events  moral  and  physical  in  subordination  to  divine  provi- 
dence is  not  here  mooted.  A  place  luhither  he  shall  fiee.  This 
contains  a  reference  to  the  avenger  of  blood  (''^'3,  ^^i  ^^^  Num. 
xxxv.  9-32),  the  nearest  of  kin,  who  was  by  primeval  custom 
antecedent  to  all  statute  law  entitled  and  bound  to  maintain 
the  cause  of  the  deceased  in  general,  and  in  the  case  of  death 
by  violence  to  pursue  the  slayer,  and,  if  he  overtook  him,  to 
put  him  to  death.  The  life  of  man  is  infinitely  precious,  both 
because  he  has  been  created  in  the  image  of  God,  and  because 
he  is  responsible  hereafter  for  what  is  done  here.  Hence  even 
unintentional  homicide  is  regarded  as  an  awful  deed,  which  is 
not  to  be  passed  over  without  check  or  censure.  But  though 
the  avenger  of  blood  is  recognised  as  the  minister  of  a  prompt 
and  natural  justice,  yet  a  w\ay  of  escape  is  opened  for  the  un- 
intentional man-slayer  by  the  institution  of  six  cities  of  refuge 
(Josh.  XX.  7,  8),  so  situated  that  the  fugitive  had  not  more  than 
twenty-five  or  thirty  English  miles  at  most  to  flee.  And  as 
in  most  cases  he  would  have  a  start  of  from  one  to  twenty- 
four  hours,  he  would  generally  be  beyond  the  reach  of  his  pur- 
suer in  the  course  of  a  day.  The  cities  of  refuge  were  all 
Levitical,  and  therefore  in  a  peculiar  sense  belonging  to  God, 
■who  shields  the  unintentional  man  slayer.  The  elders  or 
council  (^7^)  of  the  city  of  refuge  shall  receive  him,  and  not 
surrender  him  to  the  avenger  of  blood  (Josh.  xx.  4,  5).  They 
shall  hand   him  over  to  the  council  (nny)  or  elders  of  his  own 


238  LAWS  OF  PERSONAL  SAFETY. 

city  (Num.  xxxv.  24,  25,  Deut.  x.  1 2),  who  shall  decide  whether 
he  be  guilty  of  manslaughter  or  murder,  and  in  the  former 
case  "  restore  him  to  the  city  of  his  refuge,"  and  in  the  latter 
"  deliver  him  into  the  hand  of  the  avenger  of  blood  that  he 
may  die."  v.  14.  The  murderer,  as  he  acts  from  malice  pre- 
pense, with  presumptuous  daring,  or  unmanly  guile,  is  here, 
by  way  of  contrast  with  the  milder  sentence  of  the  unpreme- 
ditating  man-slayer,  emphatically  condemned  to  death,  from 
which  not  even  the  altar  of  God,  much  less  the  city  of  refuge, 
shall  shelter  him.  This  indicates  both  the  fact  that  the  altar 
was  already  regarded  as  a  sacred  and  almost  inviolable  asylum 
for  the  defenceless  on  account  of  its  intimate  connection  with 
Supreme  Being,  and  the  reason  why  Levitical  cities,  which 
belonged  specially  to  God,  were  selected  as  cities  of  refuge. 

V.  15,  In  this  second  enactment  we  pass  from  the  murder- 
ous stroke  to  the  blow  of  violence  inflicted  on  a  father  or  a 
mother.  To  strike  a  parent,  even  though  the  blow  be  not 
fatal,  is  to  lift  the  hand  of  violence  against  the  author  of  our 
being.  It  is  akin  to  rebellion  against  God  himself,  the  great 
Father  of  all.  It  is  here  regarded  with  such  abhorrence  as  to 
be  visited  with  the  penalty  of  death.  We  learn  from  this  and 
other  passages  (v.  17,  Deut.  xxi.  18-21)  that  wilful  and  ob- 
stinate disrespect  to  parents  was  a  crime  that  came  under  the 
cognisance  of  the  civil  judge. 

V.  16.  The  third  judgment  condemns  the  man-stealer  to 
death.  From  the  violent  blow  we  proceed  to  the  violent 
seizure.  To  steal  a  man  and  make  merchandise  of  him  is  by 
its  present  connection  regarded  as  aiming  a  blow  at  his  life. 
It  is,  at  all  events,  doing  violence  to  his  person,  and  therefore 
comes  naturally  under  the  sixth  commandment.  It  differs 
entirely  from  the  treatment  of  one  who  has  come  into  legiti- 
mate bondage,  to  which  the  previous  section  is  devoted.  This 
enactment  leads  to  the  remarkable  conclusion  that  the  stealing 
or  selling  of  a  free  man  without  his  fault,  or  against  his  will, 
was  in  the  polity  of  Israel  a  crime  of  the  deepest  dye ;  and 
accordincrly  that  lawful  servitude  could  only  arise  from  the 
consent  or  the  crime  of  the  serf  (see  on  v.  2-11).  This  form 
of  the, law  differs  from  the  corresponding  one  in  Deut.  xxiv.  7 
in  the  universality  of  its  application. 

V.  17.  The  preceding  enactments  refer  to  the  hand  of  me- 


EXODUS  XXI.  12-32.  239 

ditatcd  violence  ;  the  fourtli  to  tlie  tongue.  Some  copies  of 
the  Sept.,  regarding  the  parents  as  the  point  of  connection, 
transpose  the  10th  and  17th  verses.  But  the  Hebrew  ai*- 
rangement  rests  on  the  more  fundamental  gradation  from  the 
hand  to  the  tongue.  Cursing  father  or  motlier  is  a  crime 
cojrnate  with  the  breach  of  the  third  commandment.  Tlie 
legislator  evidently  takes  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  prin- 
ciple involved  in  the  sixth  commandment  similar  to  that  of 
our  Lord  in  the  sermon  on  the  Mount  (Matt.  v.  21-20).  Hence 
"  cursing,"  wishing  evil  to  a  parent,  is  treated  ns  a  most  flag- 
rant breach  of  this  commandment.  It  violates  the  majesty  of 
God,  of  whom  the  parent  is  the  natural  representative. 

V.  18,  19.  In  this  fifth  "judgment"  from  malice  prepense, 
we  proceed  to  sudden  outbursts  of  violence  arising  from  strife 
or  passion.  The  present  case  refers  to  strife  or  angry  debate 
between  equals.  From  words  they  come  to  blows.  A  bruise 
is  inflicted  with  a  stone  or  the  fist,  which  does  not  cause  death, 
and  yet  confines  the  sufferer  to  his  couch.  Here  both  parties 
may  be  culpable  ;  and  if  the  disabled  man  so  far  recover  as  to 
walk  about  on  his  staff,  the  striker  is  only  to  pay  for  the  loss 
of  time  and  the  costs  of  the  remedy.  If,  however,  death  ensue, 
either  in  the  strife  or  before  he  leave  his  bed,  the  case  is  pro- 
vided for  by  the  first  enactment  of  this  section  (v.  1  2-14).  It 
will  come  under  the  head  of  manslaughter,  unless  malice  pre- 
pense can  be  proved. 

V.  20,  21,  The  sixth  law  refers  to  sudden  violence  on 
the  part  of  a  master.  The  chastisement  of  a  servant  or  even 
a  child  with  a  rod  was  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  allowed 
custom  of  the  times.  If,  therefore,  death  under  his  hand  should 
follow,  it  was  to  be  presumed  that  the  master  did  not  intend 
to  kill  his  servant.  He  filudl  surch/  he  imnislted.  If  he  had 
without  intention  slain  a  free  man,  he  would  have  fled  to  the 
city  of  refuge  and  remained  there  till  the  death  of  the  high 
priest.  In  the  case  of  a  bondsman,  then,  we  cannot  suppose 
with  the  Talmud,  that  the  penalty  was  death  by  the  sword. 
In  the  absence  of  an  avenger  of  blood  we  presume  the  elders 
of  his  city  would  examine  whether  the  act  was  murder  or 
manslaughter,  and  deal  with  him  according  to  the  spirit  of  the 
first  enactment  (v.  1 2-1 4j.  This  would  involve  at  least  banish- 
ment to  the  nearest  city  of  refuge  for  the  usual  time.    But  it 


240  LAWS  OF  PERSONAL  SAFETY. 

is  possible  that  death  resulting  ffom  the  excess  of  a  legitimate 
mode  of  chastisement  was  punished  by  a  fine  of  thirty  shekels 
or  upwards,  the  average  value  of  a  slave,  along  with  the  cost 
of  burial  and  the  maintenance  of  the  surviving  family.  This 
is  favoured  by  the  decision  that,  if  the  slave  survive  a  few- 
days,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  he  did  not  intend  to  compass 
his  death,  and  the  loss  of  the  slave  is  to  be  counted  as  a  fine 
for  the  abuse  of  power. 

V,  22-25.  This  seventh  decision  passes  to  bodily  injuries 
that  fall  short  of  the  loss  of  life.  In  the  case  of  strife  or  bodily 
conflict,  it  is  not  unnatural  for  the  softer  sex  to  interfere  by 
their  intreaties  or  personal  efforts  to  restore  peace  or  protect 
the  party  in  whom  they  are  interested.  A  woman  with  child 
may  thus  be  injured  and  abortion  take  place  without  any 
farther  mischief  resulting.  The  offender  is  in  this  case  to  be 
fined  according  to  the  damages  laid  on  by  the  husband  and 
regulated  and  enforced  by  the  judges.  The  rendering  of  the 
Sept.  /x£-a  a^i(LiMaTog  is  free  but  according  to  the  sense.  Some 
understand  "  her  fruit  departing  from  her  "  of  premature  birth 
and  refer  the  "mischief"  to  the  loss  of  either  the  mother's  or 
the  child's  life.  v.  23.  If  mischief  follow,  the  decision  is, 
"  thou  shalt  give  life  for  life."  The  lex  talionis  or  law  of  re- 
taliation is  here  laid  down  as  the  great  principle  by  which  the 
magistrate  is  to  be  guided  in  the  administration  of  justice. 
A  great  deal  of  unreasonable  obloquy  has  been  heaped  upon 
this  law,  as  if  it  inculcated  or  implied  the  right  of  private 
revenge.  A  little  reflection  will  show  that  it  is  the  simple 
and  only  principle  of  all  retributive  justice.  If  two  men  were 
the  only  intelligent  beings  in  existence,  neither  would  have 
any  right  to  hurt  or  apply  any  force  to  the  other.  On  the 
other  hand  the  law  of  self-love  would  suggest  the  obligation  to 
love  the  other  as  himself.  If  the  one  did  injure  the  other,  the 
latter  would  not  thereb}^  acquire  any  right  to  injure  the  former 
to  the  same  or  to  any  amount,  or  to  quench  or  abate  the  feel- 
ing of  benevolence  already  entertained  towards  him.  But 
he  would  have  the  right  of  laying  his  cause  before  the  ultimate 
fountain  of  all  authority.  And  it  is  clear  as  day  that  the  Crea- 
tor is  the  supreme  judge  of  all  his  creatures,  and  is  bound  by 
the  simple  law  of  equity  to  indemnify  the  sufferer  and  to  im- 
pose an   adequate   penalty  on  the  offender.     This,  and  this 


EXODUS  XXI.  12-32.  241 

alone,  is  the  true  import  of  the  lex  talionis.  It  is  merely 
the  law  of  equity  expressed  thus  :  as  is  the  offence,  such  is  to 
he  the  penalty.  But  its  administrator  is  not  the  private  in- 
dividual, hut  the  duly  authorised  magistrate.  Tlie  error  of 
many  Jews  in  our  Lord's  time  (Mat.  v.  38-48),  and  of  the 
carnal  mind  in  all  times,  is  to  assume  the  rif^^ht  and  induh^e 
the  spirit  of  private  revenge  to  the  extinction  of  that  spirit 
of  love  which  ouirht  to  actuate  the  breast  of  one  intelli'cent 
being  towards  another.  But  this  does  not  touch  the  abstract 
principle  of  equity,  or  the  authority  and  obligation  of  the 
civil  magistrate  to  maintain  it  between  man  and  man.  v.  24. 
^rhe  arrangement  of  the  members  here  is  obvious,  v.  25. 
The  fire,  the  sword  or  other  sharp  instrument,  and  the  fist  or 
some  blunt  instrument  inflict  these  injuries.  It  is  expressly 
stated  (Numb.  xxxv.  31,  32)  that  no  satisfaction  (iSS,  expiation, 
redemption),  is  to  be  taken  for  the  penalties  of  murder  and 
manslaughter.  This  implies  that  satisfaction  or  commutation 
of  punishment  was  known  and  practised,  and  that  it  was 
admissible  in  other  cases. 

V.  2G,  27.  The  eighth  enactment  provides  for  the  case  of 
a  slave  being  mutilated  by  his  master.  The  loss  of  an  eye 
or  a  tooth  by  violence  is  to  be  compensated  by  the  emancii)a- 
tion  of  the  shive.  This  is  a  clear  case  of  commutation.  These 
verses  in  the  Hebi'ew  close  an  open  parasha  or  greater  section, 
obviously  because  the  legislator  now  passes  from  injuries  done 
hi/  men  to  injuries  inflicted  by  cattle.  But  we  conceive  that 
injuries  done  to  men  and  injuries  to  property  f(jrm  the  funda- 
mental basis  of  division. 

V.  28-31.  The  ninth  judgment  refers  to  the  goring  of  a 
free  man  by  an  ox.  If  death  ensue,  the  ox  is  to  be  stoned, 
and  his  flesh  is  not  to  be  eaten.  The  loss  of  the  ox  is  to 
stand  for  the  penalty  of  the  owner,  if  he  be  otherwise  blame- 
less. The  law  is  remarkably  earnest  in  the  protection  of 
human  life.  v.  29.  If  the  ox  be  danrjerous,  and  the  owner 
have  been  advised  of  it  and  have  not  kept  him  in,  then  tiie 
ox  is  to  be  stoned  and  the  owner  also  put  to  death,  v.  30. 
But  a  commutation  of  punishment  is  expressly  allowed  in 
this  case.  v.  31.  The  child  is  to  be  equally  protected  with 
the  full-grown  man. 

v.  32.   The  tenth,  and  last  of  this  group  of  laws,  applies  to 

Q 


2  42  LAWS  OF  PROPERTY. 

the  case  of  a  slave  being  gored  by  an  ox.  The  redemption 
price  is  in  this  case  fixed  at  thirty  shekels  of  silver.  Esti- 
mating the  shekel  at  220  grains  of  silver,  or  about  2s,  3d., 
we  find  thirty  shekels  equal  to  £3,  7s.  6d,  If  the  relative 
value  of  silver  was  formerly  greater  than  now,  the  estimated 
value  of  a  slave  must  be  proportionately  increased.  Some 
suppose  it  was,  in  the  time  of  Moses,  ten  or  twenty  times  its  pre- 
sent value.  A  freeman  above  twenty  and  under  sixty  years  of 
age  was  estimated  at  fifty  shekels  of  silver,  a  woman  at  thirty. 
For  other  ages,  the  estimates  varied  according  to  a  fixed  rule 
(Lev.  xxvii.  1-8).  A  close  section,  or  minor  paragraph  of  the 
Hebrew  text,  here  terminates,  because  the  laws  relative  to  the 
ox  are  not  yet  completed.  The  laws  referring  to  the  defence 
of  life,  however,  are  at  this  point  separated  from  those  treat- 
ing of  the  protection  of  property.  This  is,  therefore,  the 
second  break  in  this  civil  code. 

It  is  here  to  be  noted,  that  the  distinction  of  intentional  or 
unintentional,  which  is  signalised  in  the  first  of  these  enact- 
ments, runs  through  the  whole,  and  modifies  the  degree  of 
guilt  and  the  amount  of  the  penalty. 

III.    LAWS  OF  PROPERTY. 

V,  83 — chap,  xsii.  v.  ]  4  (15).  From  man  invested  with  the 
bare  rights  of  nature,  we  now  rise  to  man  endowed  with  the 
acquired  rights  of  property.  Adam,  as  soon  as  he  came  from 
his  Maker's  hand,  had  the  right  of  personal  inviolability.  As 
soon  as  his  Maker  made  him  a  formal  grant  of  all  the  trees  of 
the  garden  that  were  suitable  for  him,  he  had  received  the 
right  of  property,  which  assumed  an  endless  variety  of  forms 
in  the  progressive  development  of  the  race. 

V.  33,  34.  The  first  "judgment"  refers  to  the  case  of  a 
man  opening  a  pit  already  made  and  covered,  or  digging  a 
pit,  and  in  either  case  leaving  it  uncovered.  If  an  ox  or  an 
ass  fall  therein  and  be  killed,  the  owner  of  the  pit  shall  make 
it  good.  The  money  value  he  shall  give  to  the  owner  of  the 
animal,  and  himself  retain  the  dead.  This  is  a  good  instance 
of  the  lex  tallonis,  varied  by  commutation,  and  exhibited  as 
in  principle  the  return  of  an  equivalent. 

V.  35,  30.    In  the  second  enactment  it  is  provided,  that 


EXODUS  XXII.   18.  2i3 

wlierc  an  ox  gores  another  to  Joatli,  tlic  owners  sliall  divide 
etiually  tlie  value  of"  the  living  and  the  dead  animals.  But  if 
the  live  ox  was  addicted  to  goring,  his  owner  shall  ])ay  ox 
for  ox,  and  the  dead  shall  be  his.  It  is  obvious  that  to  \y,iy 
ox  for  ox,  is  to  give  either  an  ox  of  equal  value,  or  the  fair 
price  of  the  ox  killed. 

In  the  English  veision  this  chapter  ends  here.  This  divi- 
sion corresponds  with  a  minor  section  of  the  Masoretic  text, 
and  with  the  sense.  But  a  more  ajjpropriate  ending  for  the 
chapter  would  have  been  at  v.  St,  where  the  legislator  passes 
from  the  subject  of  personal  safety  to  that  of  property. 


CHAP.  XXII.    LAWS  OF  PROPERTY  AND  CONJUGAL  FIDELITY. 

1 8.  It^^o  enchanter  or  sorcerer  (vii.  1 1 ).  ''pjri^  ivizard,  one 
wise  in  black  arts.  3lk  the  ghost  of  the  departed  conjured  up 
to  give  answers  concerning  the  future.  These  two  terms 
generally  occur  together,  and  refer  to  the  necromancer. 

20  Q")n  to  prohibit  from  common  use,  to  devote  to  God 
without  possibility  of  redemption  (Lev.  xxvii.  28,  29),  and  hence 
utterly  to  destroy  and  exterminate. 

29  ^^?J^  ^Ae /u^jiess  of  the  corn  harvest ;  the  first-fruits  of 
this  fulness  offered  to  God  in  grateful  acknowledgment.  Vt^l 
the  tear,  the  trickling  juice  of  the  fruit-tree  harvest,  of  which 
the  first  fruits  were  also  to  be  presented  to  the  Lord. 

1  If  a  man  steal  an  ox  or  a  sheep,  and  kill  it  or  sell  it,  lie  shall  re- 
store five  oxen  for  an  ox  and  four  sheep  for  a  sheep. 

2  If  the  thief  be  found  breaking  in,  and  be  smitten  that  he  dio, 
there  shall  be  no  blood  for  him.  3  If  the  sun  be  risen  upon  hiui, 
there  shall  be  blood  for  him  ;  he  shall  make  full  restitution  ;  if  he 
have  nothing,  then  he  shall  be  sold  for  his  theft.  4.  If  the  theft  be 
certainly  found  in  his  hand  alive,  be  it  ox,  or  ass,  or  sheep,  lie  shall 
restore  double.  §  4o. 

5  If  a  man  graze  on  a  iield  or  vineyard,  and  put  in  his  beast  and 
graze  on  another's  field,  of  the  best  of  his  field  and  of  the  best  of  his 
vineyard  shall  ho  restore.  §  40. 

6  If  a  tiro  break  out  and  catch  on  thorns,  and  a  stack  of  com,  or 


244)  LAWS  OF  PROPERTY  AND  CONJUGAL  FIDELITY. 

the  standing  corn,  or  the  field  be  consumed,  he  that  kindleth  the  fire 
shall  surely  make  restitution.  §  47. 

7  If  a  man  shall  deliver  unto  his  neighbour  money  or  stuff  to  keep, 
and  it  be  stolen  out  of  the  man's  house ;  if  the  thief  be  found,  he 
shall  restore  double.  8  If  the  thief  be  not  found,  then  the  master  of 
the  house  shall  be  brought  unto  God,  to  swear  that  he  hath  not  put 
his  hand  unto  his  neiglibour's  goods. 

9  For  all  manner  of  trespass,  for  ox,  for  ass,  for  sheep,  for  raiment, 
for  anything  lost,  if  one  say  that  that  is  it,  the  cause  of  both  parties 
shall  come  uuto  God ;  and  whom  God  shall  condemn,  he  shall  restore 
double  to  his  neighbour.  §  48. 

10  If  a  man  deliver  unto  his  neighbour  an  ass,  or  an  ox,  or  a  sheep, 
or  any  beast  to  keep,  and  it  die  or  be  hurt  or  taken  away  no  man  see- 
ing;  11  An  oath  of  the  Lord  shall  be  between  them  both,  that  he 
hath  not  put  his  hand  to  his  neighbour's  goods  ;  and  the  owner  of  it 
shall  accept  this  ;  and  he  shall  not  make  it  good.  1  2  And  if  it  be 
stolen  from  him,  he  shall  make  it  good  to  the  owner  thereof  13  If 
it  be  torn  in  pieces,  he  shall  bring  it  for  witness  :  he  shall  not  make 
good  that  which  was  torn.  T  '^^• 

14  And  if  a  man  borrow  aught  of  his  neighbour,  and  it  be  hurt  or 
die  ;  if  the  owner  thereof  be  not  with  it,  he  shall  surely  make  it  good. 
15  If  the  owner  thereof  be  with  it,  he  shall  not  make  it  good;  if  it 
be  hired,  it  went  for  its  hire.  §  49. 

16  And  if  a  man  entice  a  maid  that  is  not  betrothed  and  lie  with 
her,  he  shall  surely  endow  her  to  be  his  wife.  17  If  her  father  utterly 
refuse  to  give  her  unto  him,  he  shall  pay  money  according  to  the  dowry 
of  virgins.  §  50. 

18  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to  live. 

19  Whosoever  lieth  with  a  beast  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.     §  51. 

20  He  that  sacrificeth  to  any  God,  save  unto  the  Lord  onlj^,  shall 
be  devoted  to  death. 

21  And  thou  shalt  not  vex  a  stranger  or  oppress  him  ;  for  ye  Avere 
strangers  in  the  land  of  Mizraim.  22  Ye  shall  not  afflict  any  widow 
or  fatherless  child.  23  If  thou  afflict  them  in  any  wise,  and  they  cry 
at  all  unto  me,  I  will  surely  hear  their  cry.  24  And  my  wrath  shall 
wax  hot  and  I  will  slay  you  with  the  sword  :  and  your  wives  shall  be 
widows  and  your  children  fatherless.  ^  36. 

25  If  thou  lend  money  to  any  of  my  people,  that  is  poor  by  thee  ; 
thou  shalt  not  be  to  him  as  a  usurer :  thou  shalt  not  lay  upon  him 
usury. 

26  If  thou  at  all  take  thy  neighbour's  raiment  to  pledge,  thou  shalt 
restore  it  to  him  at  the  going  down  of  the  sun.  27  For  that  is  his 
only  covering ;  that  is  his  raiment  for  his  skin :  wherein  shall  he 


EXODUS  XXII.  5.  2  is 

sleep?  and  it  Avill  como  to  pass  that  he  sliall  cry  unto  me  and  T  will 
liear ;  for  I  am  merciful.  §  52. 

28  Thou  shalt  not  revile  God  nor  curse  a  prince  among  thy  people. 

29  Thou  shalt  not  delay  the  first  i'ruits  of  thy  corn  and  of  thy  wine : 
the  first-horn  of  thy  sons  shalt  thou  <;ive  unto  me.  30  So  shalt  thou 
do  with  thine  ox,  and  thy  sheep:  seven  days  shall  it  he  with  its  dam; 
on  the  eighth  day  shalt  tiiou  give  it  me. 

31  And  yo  shall  be  holy  men  unto  me  ;  neither  shall  ye  eat  flesh 
that  is  torn  of  beasts  in  the  fields  ;  ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dog.      §  53. 

V.  1.  Ill  this  third  law  we  proceed  from  injuries  to  property 
ari.sing  from  inadvertence  or  negligence  to  those  which  are  in- 
tentional. The  case  of  the  thief  having  got  off  with  his  booty 
and  killed  or  sold  it  is  placed  first.  The  fivefold  and  fourfold 
restitution  is  intended  to  cover  the  time,  trouble,  and  cost 
which  the  theft  may  in  this  case  have  occasioned  over  and 
above  the  mere  loss  of  the  animal  stolen.  The  theft  of  an  ox 
involves  in  this  respect  a  somewhat  greater  accompanying  loss 
than  that  of  a  sheep,  and  this  is  allowed  for  in  the  fivefold 
restitution. 

This  verse  is  attached  to  the  preceding  chapter  in  the  ori- 
ginal, seemingly  because,  like  the  previous  verses,  it  treats  of 
oxen.  But  as  it  treats  of  theft  it  is  preferable  with  the  Eng- 
lish version  to  connect  it  with  the  following  verses  which  refer 
to  the  same  subject. 

V.  2-4.  The  fourth  enactment  treats  of  a  thief  caufjbt  in  the 
act.  This  gives  rise  to  three  cases.  1.  He  loses  his  life  by 
night.  In  this  case  no  blood  is  to  be  shed  for  him.  By  his 
nightly  intrusion  he  endangers  life  directly  or  indirectly.  His 
life  is  the  forfeit  of  his  intended  crime.  2.  If  he  be  smitten 
by  day,  the  slayer  shall  suffer  ;  because  there  is  no  necessity 
for  his  death.  He  has  been  seen,  and  if  he  fjet  off,  he  can  be 
overtaken  by  justice  and  compelled  to  make  restitution  as 
alread}'  prescribed.  If  he  have  nothing,  and  therefore  cannot 
make  the  required  restitution,  he  is  to  he  sold  for  his  theft. 
This  is  a  clear  case  of  servitude  being  the  judicial  penalty  of 
crime.  3.  If  the  thing  stolen  be  found  alive  in  his  hand,  and 
therefore  without  the  trouble  and  cost  of  a  tedious  search,  lie 
shall  restore  double. 

V.  5.  The  fifth  decision  regards  the  introduction  by  fraud 


246  LAWS  or  property. 

or  negligence  of  cattle  into  the  field,  especially  the  grain-field 
or  vineyard  of  a  neighbour.  It  is  presumed  that  the  damage 
occurs  by  carelessness.  At  all  events  compensation  to  the 
full  amount  is  to  be  made  from  the  best  of  the  trespasser's 
field  or  vineyard. 

V.  G.  The  sixth  refers  to  the  breaking  out  of  fire  in  a  stack, 
or  standing  corn,  or  a  field.  It  is  customary  in  pastoral  dis- 
tricts to  kindle  fires  in  the  fields  at  all  seasons ;  and  it  is  not 
unusual  to  set  fire  to  the  herbage  for  the  purpose  of  promot- 
ing the  fertility  of  the  soil.  If  the  wind  and  the  lie  of  the 
field  are  not  attentively  considered,  there  is  much  danger  of 
the  fire  spreading  either  to  the  standing  or  to  the  garnered 
grain.  The  careless  kindler  of  the  fire  is  to  make  restitution 
for  the  damage  done.  This  is  analogous  to  the  preceding  case. 
The  other  cases  also  in  this  section  go  together  to  a  certain 
extent  in  pairs. 

v.  7,  8.  The  following  determinations  refer  to  the  entrust- 
ing of  property,  either  as  a  deposit  or  a  loan.  In  the  present 
case,  money  or  articles  of  any  kind  are  entrusted  to  another. 
If  the  thing  entrusted  be  stolen,  and  the  thief  be  caught,  he 
shall  restore  double.  If  not,  the  trustee  is  called  upon  to 
make  oath  before  God  that  he  has  not  put  his  hand  to  his 
neighbour's  goods.      If  he  can  do  so,  he  is  acquitted. 

V.  9.  But  if  he  do  not  clear  himself  in  this  way,  he  comes 
•under  the  present  regulation.  This  applies  to  an}'-  kind  of 
thing  missing,  or  said  to  be  missing,  that  is  found  with  a  man 
who  denies  it,  while  it  is  challenged  by  another  as  that  very 
thing  which  he  has  lost.  This  is  evidently  a  case  of  some 
complication  and  difficulty.  It  is  to  come  before  the  delegates 
of  the  Most  High  for  adjudication,  and  he  with  whom  the 
article  missing  is  adjudged  to  be  found,  though  denied,  is  to 
restore  double. 

V.  10-18.  This  regulation  refers  to  animals  committed  to 
the  keeping  of  another.  The  Rabbins  make  a  distinction  be- 
tween paid  and  unpaid  trustees  ;  the  latter  being  entrusted 
merely  with  money  or  articles  that  require  only  house-room, 
the  former  with  cattle  that  require  sustenance.  It  is  obvious 
that  in  this  case  the  caretaker  must  be  remunerated  at  least 
for  the  cost  of  the  animal's  keep.  If  the  animal  die,  or  be 
maimed,  or  carried  off  secretly,  and  the  guardian  make  oath 


EXODUS  XXII.  9,  13.  247 

tliat  he  is  innocent  of  the  loss,  he  shall  not  make  it  good, 
V.  1  3.  If  it  be  torn  })y  a  wild  beast,  and  he  bring  the  remains 
of  it  as  a  proof,  he  is  to  be  acquitted. 

This  verse  terminates  a  major  .section  of  the  Masoretic  text, 
because  the  next  refers  not  to  trusteeship,  but  to  lending. 
But  the  two  following  verses  relate  to  property  as  well  as  the 
preceding;  while  the  subsequent  verses  relate  to  conjugal 
fidelity.  The  major  division  should  in  this  view  bo  placed 
after  the  1  oth  verse  of  the  English  version,  or  the  1  tth  of  the 
Hebrew  text. 

V.  1  4,  1  5.  The  tenth  regulation  of  this  law  section  refers 
to  borrowing  any  article  or  animal  from  a  neighbour.  If  it 
be  injured  or  killed  in  the  absence  of  the  owner,  it  is  to  bo 
made  good.  But  if  the  owner  be  present,  the  thing  borrowed 
is  not  to  be  made  good ;  and  if  hired,  it  is  to  go  for  its  hire. 

IV.    LAWS  ON  CONJUGAL  FIDELITY. 

V.  lG-31.  The  regulations  under  this  head  are  somewhat 
miscellaneous.  To  give  a  unity  to  them  we  must  suppose  the 
relation  between  God  and  his  people  to  be  S3'^mboli.sed  by  that 
between  husband  and  wife  ;  and  we  must  reijard  God  as  the 
avowed  guardian  and  representative  of  the  stranger,  the 
widow,  and  the  orphan.  The  covenant  between  God  and  his 
people  (Gen.  ix.  9-17,  xv.  18,  xvii.  1-24,  Ex.  vi.  4,  5,  xix. 
5,  G)  in  which  he  engages  to  be  their  God,  and  takes  them  to 
be  his  people,  warrants  the  f  jrmer  symbol,  which  becomes  fre- 
quent in  the  later  scriptures.  The  stranger  (Gen.  xv.  1 3,  Ex. 
XX.  10),  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless,  arc  special  classes  of 
the  unprotected,  whom  God  wuU  hear  if  they  be  oppressed  and 
cry  unto  him  (Ex.  ii.  23,  24,  iii.  9). 

V.  lG-17.  The  first  precept  affords  protection  to  the  unbe- 
trothed  female  who  is  enticed  or  beguiled  into  uncluistity. 
The  enticer  shall  einloiv  her  to  he  Jcis  wife.  The  dowry  was 
a  portion  given  by  the  bridegroom  for  his  bride  to  her  jjarents 
(Gen.  xxix.  18-20,  xxxiv.  1  2,  1  Sam.  xviii.  25).  The  present 
passage  favours  the  suppo.sition  that  it  was  originally  intended 
for  the  use  of  the  bride.  If  the  father  refuse  to  give  her,  he 
sJuill  pay  money  according  to  the  doivry  of  virgUis.  To  pay 
money   is  here  to    weigh   silver,  which  was   not  yet  c»jiued. 


248  LAWS  ON  CONJUGAL  FIDELITY. 

The  sum  afterwards  fixed  by  law  was  fifty  shekels  of  silver 
(Deut.  xxii.  29). 

V.  18.  The  second  judgment.  A  wizard  {'')Vy)  is  one  who 
endeavours  to  accomplish  a  selfish  end  b}^  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness. The  masculine  form  of  the  term  here  employed  ('""SL'bpN 
denotes  a  sorcerer  or  enchanter,  who  employs  the  charm  or 
muttered  chant  to  bring  a  preternatural  power  to  his  aid  (Ex. 
V.  11).  The  practiser  of  such  arts,  or  the  pretender  to  them, 
is  by  the  very  fact  an  apostate  from  God,  a  breaker  of  that 
solemn  and  gracious  covenant  which  he  has  made  with  his 
people,  and  a  traitor  to  the  theocraty  under  which  he  lives. 
And  his  example  at  least  would  tempt  the  people  to  all  these 
crimes.  Such  a  one  is,  accordingly,  not  to  be  suffered  to  live. 
The  penalty  for  witchcraft  is  stoning  (Lev.  xx.  27),  and  this, 
no  doubt,  extended  to  all  its  forms.  The  phrase  n>nri  N?  is 
employed  to  denote  the  immediate  and  extreme  necessity  of 
exterminating  this  lurking  form  of  enmity  against  God  and 
man.  The  male  and  female  are  no  doubt  included  in  this 
judgment ;  but  the  wizard  seems  to  have  been  less  common 
than  the  witch. 

V.  19.  The  third  rule  condemns  an  unnatural  crime  of  the 
kind  that  rendered  Sodom  infamous.  Such  a  crime  implies  a 
being  dead  to  all  fear  of  God  as  much  as  to  the  very  instincts 
of  nature. 

v.  20.  Tlie  fourth  law  declares  the  man  who  sacrifices  to 
any  being  but  the  true  God  to  be  accursed,  and  therefore  given 
over  to  extermination. 

V.  21-24.  This  fifth  provision,  as  well  as  the  two  follow- 
ing, has  reference  to  the  unprotected  classes,  the  stranger,  the 
widow,  the  fatherless,  and  the  poor.  TJiou  shalt  not  vex. 
This  word  signifies  to  harass  by  unworthy  treatment,  and  is 
followed  by  another  implying  a  greater  degree  of  violence  and 
injustice.  A  stranger.  While  the  Lord  is  constrained  by  the 
ungodliness  of  the  world  to  select  for  himself  a  people  whom 
he  may  teach  and  bless,  the  stranger  is  to  be  peculiarly  wel- 
come among  this  people,  and  every  facility  afforded  for  their 
admission  into  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  theocraty. 
"Whatever,  therefore,  may  have  been  the  conduct  of  Israel  in 
different   periods  of  her  history,  it  is  clear  that  the  God  of 


EXODUS  xxir.  19-24.  249 

Israel  and  his  niinistcrs  are  to  be  completely  exonerated  from 
the  charge  of  exclusiveness.  The  stranger  is  not  to  be  dis- 
couraged or  oppressed,  but  welcomed  to  sojourn  and  even  to 
be  incorporated  in  the  coniinonwealth  of  Israel.  Foi'  ye  vjcre 
tttrdiigers.  An  afi'ecting  appeal  is  here  made  to  the  bondage 
which  seven  weeks  could  not  have  effaced  from  their  me- 
mories. A  ]>rovision  was  made,  as  we  have  already  seen,  for 
the  stranjrer  beinir  admitted  to  tlie  ordinance  of  the  Passover 
(xii,  48),  and  allowed  and  required  to  observe  the  Sabbath 
(xx.  1  0).  We  shall  meet  with  other  tokens  of  consideration 
for  the  stranger  as  we  proceed  (Lev.  xix.  9,  xxiii.  22,  Deut.  xiv. 
28,  29,  xvi.  11-14,  xxiv.  17-22,  xxvi.  11-13).  v.  22. 
Ye  shall  not  afflict,  tread  down  or  oppress.  Any  vj'idow  or 
fatherless  child.  Tliere  is  a  touching  nicety  and  correctness 
in  the  use  of  fatherless  child  for  orphan  in  the  English  ver- 
sion ;  inasmuch  as  the  decease  of  the  father  leaves  both  the 
widow  and  tlie  child  without  their  natural  protector  and  sus- 
tainer,  whereas  the  motherless  child  has  still  the  father  as  its 
stay.  V.  23,  24.  God  threatens  to  be  the  avenger  of  the 
widow  and  the  fatherless  by  bringing  the  sword  of  war  on 
the  ruthless  oppressors. 

V.  25.  The  sixth  ordinance  requires  that  no  usury  or 
interest  be  taken  upon  money  lent  to  the  poor.  The  poor 
may  be  regarded  as  a  fourth  class  of  the  dependent  who  were 
exposed  to  base  and  cruel  wrong  in  ancient  times.  The  Lord 
declares  himself  the  affectionate  and  resolute  guardian  of  the 
poor,  and  inculcates  upon  his  people  a  regard  for  the  feelings 
of  humanity  which  had  been  almost  extinguished  in  the 
heathen  world.  The  lending  of  money  for  a  percentage  to 
the  wealthy  for  coramei'cial  operations  is  not  contemplated  in 
this  precept. 

V.  26,  27.  Tlie  seventh  is  the  law  of  pledges  which  was 
much  restricted  in  consideration  of  the  poor.  The  receiver 
was  not  at  liberty  to  enter  the  house  but  must  wait  at  the 
door  for  the  pledge  (Deut.  xxiv.  10-13).  He  must  also  re- 
store it  at  sunset.  The  garment  referred  to  was  a  large  shawl 
or  plaid,  now  called  haik,  which  was  worn  by  day,  and  was 
the  covering  of  the  poor  man,  who  threw  himself  on  his  couch 
with  his  clothes  on  by  night.  The  "  merciful,"  God  will  hear 
the  cry  of  the  wretched  poor. 


250  LAWS  OF  VERACITY,  SET  TIMES  AND  PIETY. 

V.  28.  The  eighth  precept  condemns  the  blasphemer.  God 
is  here  contemplated  as  the  author  of  that  providence  which 
dispenses  the  affairs  of  men.  He  is  virtually  a  breaker  of 
covenant  with  God  who  rails  at  his  providential  dealings. 
The  selfish  heart  is  prone  to  murmur  against  the  Almighty, 
whether  he  be  regarded  as  the  withholder  of  prosperity  or  the 
restrainer  of  crime.  But  the  afflicted  poor  and  the  disappointed 
oppressor,  are  alike  warned  against  the  temptation  to  blas- 
pheme the  name  of  God.  The  prince  is  conjoined  with  God 
as  the  minister  of  his  law  and  the  magistrate  of  his  people  in 
a  theocratic  state.  The  responsibility  to  rule  for  God  belongs 
to  all  sovereigns,  and  the  obligation  to  honour  the  ruler  rests 
upon  all  subjects. 

V.  29,  30.  The  ninth  is  the  general  law  of  first-fruits  and 
firstlings.  Tliou  shalt  not  delay,  keep  back  or  withhold. 
The  first-fruits  of  thy  corn  and  of  thy  vjine,  the  fulness  of 
the  harvest  and  the  trickling  juice  of  the  vintage  were  to  come 
in  the  first  fruits  to  God  who  gave  them.  This  is  more  fully 
ordered  afterwards  (Lev.  xxiii.  10-21  ;  Deut.  xviii.  4).  Tke 
first  horn  of  thy  sons.  This  has  been  already  ananged  (xiii. 
2).  V.  On  the  eighth  day.  After  seven  days  the  oflfspring 
has  a  hold  of  life  and  individuality  (Gen.  xvii.  ]  2).  It  is  then 
fit  to  be  presented  to  God. 

The  offering  of  the  first  of  everything  is  the  acknowledg- 
ment that  all  is  due  to  God  and  the  token  of  a  soul  in  cove- 
nant with  him.  This  precept,  therefore,  comports  with  the 
general  principle  of  faithfulness  to  covenant  engagements. 

V.  3J.  The  tenth  ordinance  inculcates  sanctity.  Sanctity 
of  the  outward  person  is  symbolic  of  that  purity  of  heart  that 
ought  to  characterise  those  who  are  in  communion  with  God. 
That  which  was  torn  was  imperfectly  separated  from  the  blood 
which  is  the  life  and  was  otherwise  unclean.  The  dog  was 
the  emblem  of  the  unbeliever. 


CHAP.  XXIII.    LAWS  OF  VERACITY,  OF    SET   TIMES  AND  OF   PIETY, 

G.   lV25<  the  needy,  who  feels  the  pinchings  of  want.     r.  de- 
sire, want.      >*!!  the  dependent,    r.  hang,  swing. 


EXODUS  XXIII.  251 

11.  COC*  to    remit    or    release   from    oultivation.       Hence 
n^Q'j'  release,  cessation  from  agricultural  labuur. 


1  Tliou  shall  not  l)oar  a  false  report:  put  not  thy  hand  willi  tlio 
-wickeil  to  he  a  wron^'fiil  witness.  2  Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  inulti- 
tuilt!  to  evil.  Neither  slialt  thou  answer  in  a  cau.se  to  lean  after  a 
nuiltitutle  to  wrong.  3  Neitlier  shalt  thou  countenance  a  poor  man  in 
his  cause.  §  54. 

4  If  thou  meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  his  ass  going  astray,  thou  shalt 
surely  hring  it  back  to  him  again.  §  55. 

5  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  him  tliat  hateth  thee  lying  under  his  burden, 
then  thuu  shalt  forbear  to  leave  him,  thou  shalt  surely  leave  with 
him.  §  oG. 

0  Thou  shalt  not  wrest  the  judgment  of  thy  needy  in  his  cause. 
7  Tliou  shalt  be  far  from  a  f  dse  matter  :  and  the  innocent  and  righte- 
ous slay  thou  not;  for  I  will  not  justify  the  wicked.  8  And  thou 
slialt  not  take  a  gift ;  for  the  gift  blindcth  tlie  open  eyed,  and  ])er- 
verteth  the  words  of  the  righteous.  9  And  thou  slialt  not  opfiress  a 
stranger  :  and  ye  know  the  heart  of  a  stranger  ;  for  ye  were  strangers 
in  the  land  of  Mizraim. 

10  And  six  years  shalt  thou  sow  thy  land  and  gather  in  the  fruit 
thereof  11  J5ut  the  seventh  year  thou  shalt  let  it  rest  and  lie  ;  and 
the  needy  of  thy  people  sliall  eat,  and  what  they  leave  the  beast  of  the 
field  sliall  eat.     So  slialt  thou  do  to  ihy  vineyard  and  thy  olive. 

12  ISix  days  shalt  thou  do  thy  work,  and  on  the  seventh  day  thou 
shalt  rest ;  that  thine  ox  and  thine  ass  may  rest,  and  the  son  of  thy 
handmaid  and  tiie  stranger  may  be  refreshed.  13  And  in  all  that  I 
have  said  to  you,  be  ciicuraspect :  and  mention  not  the  name  of  other 
gods,  nor  let  it  be  lieard  out  of  thy  mouth. 

14  'J'hree  times  shalt  thou  keep  a  feast  unto  me  in  the  year.  15 
Thou  shalt  keep  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  :  seven  days  shalt  thou 
cat  unleavened  bread,  as  I  commanded  thee  in  the  set  time  of  the 
month  Abib  ;  for  in  it  thou  earnest  out  from  Mizraim  :  and  none  shall 
ajipear  before  me  empty  :  16  And  the  feast  of  harvest,  the  first-fruits 
of  thy  labours,  which  thou  sowest  in  the  field  :  and  the  feast  of  in- 
gathering in  the  end  of  the  year,  when  thou  gatherest  in  thy  labours 
out  of  the  field.  17  Three  times  in  tlie  year  all  thy  nudes  shall  a])pear 
before  the  Lord  Jehovaii. 

18  Thou  shalt  not  olfer  the  blood  of  my  sacrifice  with  leavened 
bread  :  neither  shall  the  fat  of  my  feast  remain  until  the  morning. 
lU  The  hrst  of  the  lirst- fruits  of  thy  ground  thou  bhalt  bring  into  the 


252  LAWS  OF  VERACITY. 

house  of  the.  Lord  thy  God.  Thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its 
mother's  milk.  H  36. 

20  Behold  I  send  an  angel  before  thee  :  to  keep  thee  in  the  way  ; 
and  to  bring  thee  into  the  place  which  I  have  prepared.  21  Beware 
of  him,  and  hear  his  voice,  provoke  him  not :  for  he  will  not  pardon 
your  transgressions  ;  for  my  name  is  in  him.  22  For  if  thou  indeed 
hear  his  voice  and  do  all  that  I  speak ;  then  will  I  be  an  enemy  unto 
thine  enemies  and  an  adversary  to  thine  adversaries.  23  For  mine 
angel  shall  go  before  thee  and  bring  thee  to  the  Amorits  and.  the  Hit- 
tite,  and  the  Perizzite  and  the  Kenaanite,  the  Hivite  and  the  Jebusite  ; 
and  I  M'ill  cut  them  off.  24  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  to  their  gods 
nor  serve  them,  nor  do  after  their  works ;  but  thou  shalt  utterly  over- 
throw them  and  quite  break  down  their  pillars.  25  And  ye  shall 
serve  the  Lord  your  God  :  and  he  shall  bless  thy  bread  and  thy  water ; 
and  take  away  sickness  from  the  midst  of  thee.  §  57.  26  None  shall 
miscarry  or  be  barren  in  thy  land  :  the  number  of  thy  days  I  will  ful- 
fil. 27  I  will  send  my  fear  before  thee,  and  confound  all  the  people 
to  whom  thou  comest ;  and  make  all  thine  enemies  turn  their  back 
unto  thee.  28  And  I  will  send  the  hornet  before  thee ;  and  it  shall 
drive  out  the  Hivite,  the  Kenaanite,  and  the  Hittite  from  before  thee. 

29  1  will  not  drive  him  out  from  before  thee  in  one  year ;  lest  the 
land  become  desolate,  and  the  beast  of  the  field  multiply  against  thee. 

30  By  little  and  little  I  will  drive  him  out  from  before  thee,  until 
thou  be  fruitful  and  inherit  the  land.  31  And  I  will  set  thy  border 
from  the  Red  Sea  even  to  the  sea  of  the  Philistines,  and  from  the  wil- 
derness unto  the  river  :  for  I  will  deliver  into  your  hand  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  land  ;  and  thou  shalt  drive  them  out  before  thee.  32 
Thou  shalt  make  no  covenant  with  them  nor  with  their  gods.  33  They 
shall  not  dwell  in  thy  land,  lest  they  make  thee  sin  against  me  :  for 
thou  wilt  serve  their  gods  ;  for  it  will  be  a  snare  to  thee.         ^  38. 


V.    LAWS  OF  VEKACITY. 

V.  1-9.  This  group  of  precepts  relates  chiefly  to  sincerity 
in  speech,  and  integrity  in  judgment.  By  a  natural  expan- 
sion, however,  it  includes  two  precepts,  which  refer  to  honesty 
and  kindliness  of  purpose,  and  are  therefore  quite  in  harraony 
with  truthfulness  of  language. 

V.  L  The  first  precept  refers  to  witness-bearing,  with  an 
intent  either  to  deceive  or  to  wrong.  To  bear  a  false  report 
is  either  to  raise  or  to  carry  it,  but  especially  the  latter.     A 


EXODUS  XXIII.  8.  253 

wrongful  ivitness  is  one  who  testifies  falsely  so  as  to  inflict  a 
wrong  upon  another. 

V.  2.  This  verse  contains  two  precepts  which  are  connected 
by  the  common  reference  to  a  multitude.  The  former  is 
general,  prohibiting  the  following  of  a  multitude  in  anything 
that  is  evil.  The  latter  is  special,  prohibiting  a  similar  com- 
pliance in  bearing  witness  so  as  to  wrong  the  righteous  in  his 
cause. 

V.  3.  To  countenance  or  honour  the  poor  man  in  his  cause 
is  to  connive  at  his  criminality  from  a  mistaken  compassion 
for  his  poverty.  This  rule  is  extended  to  the  rich  as  well  as 
the  poor  in  Lev.  xix.  15. 

V.  4.  The  fifth  injunction  transcends  the  obligation  to  .speak 
the  truth.  He  that  meets  his  enemy's  beast  going  astiay  is 
not  only  not  to  be  silent  on  the  subject,  but  not  to  refrain 
from  interfering.  He  Is  to  beat  down  the  exasperated  feeling 
of  his  heart,  and  bring  back  the  straying  animal  to  his  enemy 
as  if  he  were  a  friendly  brother.  This  would  be  a  happy 
means  of  softening  many  asperities. 

V.  5,  The  sixth  precept  comes  in  here  on  the  principle  of 
association.  Then  thou  shall  forbear  to  leave  him.  This 
seems  to  be  the  ."simplest  mode  of  rendering  this  somewhat 
obscure  phrase.  It  enables  us  to  give  the  usual  meaning  of 
^[V  (leave)  consistently  throughout.  Thou  shall  surely  leave 
iviih  him.  Leave  the  place  with  the  owner  and  his  ass  re- 
lieved. The.se  two  precepts  breathe  the  spirit  of  forgiveness 
and  brotherly  kindness.  In  this,  as  in  every  other  revSpect, 
the  Old  Testament  is  in  harmony  with  the  New  (Matt.  v.  4 4). 

V.  G.  In  the  seventh  precept  of  this  series  we  again  return 
to  truthfulness  of  speech.  The  needy  and  dependent  are  ex- 
posed to  oppression  and  injustice  in  a  .selfish  world.  But  the 
man  of  God  is  not  to  wrest  the  judgment  of  the  needy.  Tlij 
ncfdy,  thy  brother  who  is  needy.  This  touches  the  feelings 
of  a  common  humanity. 

V.  7.  The  eighth  inculcates  the  avoidance  of  all  connection 
\\\i\\  a  false  matter,  particularly  in  lawsuits,  where  it  may 
involve  the  judicial  slaying  of  the  innocent  and  the  righteous. 
/  icilt  not  just  if u,  1  will  most  assuredly  condemn,  (he  ivickcd. 

V.  8.  The  ninth  refers   to  bribery.     The  acceptance  of  a 


254  LAWS  REGARDING  SET  TIMES. 

gift  is  forbidden  on  the  ground  that    it   blinds  the  eyes  and 
perverts  the  tongue. 

V.  9.  In  regard  to  judicial  truth,  the  stranger  is  entitled  to 
the  same  equitable  treatment  as  the  home-born.  On  this  sub- 
ject the  appeal  is  made  to  their  own  past  experience.  It  is 
evident  that  this  series  of  precepts  finely  enforces  truth  of  pur- 
pose and  honesty  of  heart,  and  forms  a  noble  commentary  on 
the  ninth  commandment. 


VI.    LAWS  REGARDING  SET  TIMES. 

V.  10-19.  The  set  times  of  the  Lord  are  here  treated  in 
their  bearing:  on  civil  affairs.  This  series  of  ordinances  forms 
a  brief  but  comprehensive  development  of  the  commandment 
that  introduces  the  element  of  sacredness  into  the  disposal  of 
our  time. 

v,  10,  1 J .  The  first  precept  regards  the  Sabbatical  year. 
"  Six  years  "  of  sowing  and  reaping  are  to  be  followed  by  a 
seventh  year,  in  which  men  are  to  rest  from  sowing,  and  leave 
off'  gathering  in  that  which  grows  of  itself.  The  spontaneous 
growth  is  to  be  for  the  needy  and  for  the  beast  of  the  field. 
The  same  rule  is  to  apply  to  the  vineyard  and  the  oliveyard. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  distinctive  institutions  of  a  theocratic 
state.  No  merely  human  legislator  could  venture  to  enact  a 
law  suspending  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  for  a  year,  because 
he  has  not  the  power  to  secure  the  subject  from  the  famine 
that  might  thereby  ensue.  It  is  otherwise,  however,  with  the 
Author  of  all  things,  who  can  command  an  extraordinary  fer- 
tility in  the  previous  year  that  will  sustain  his  people  for  two 
years  (Lev.  xxv.  20-22).  The  scriptural  use  of  the  number 
seven  in  sacred  things  is  to  be  deduced  not  from  the  division 
of  the  natural  month  into  four  periods  of  seven  days,  which  is 
not  exact  in  itself,  nor  from  the  seven  planets,  from  which 
some  nations  have  derived  distinctive  names  for  the  daj^s  of 
the  week,  but  from  the  six  days  of  creative  work  and  the 
seventh  daj'-  of  rest,  with  which  the  present  order  of  things 
was  introduced.  This  historical  fact  the  Scripture  records,  and 
makes  the  base  of  a  weekly  commemoration.  The  other  fancies 
of  a  later  age  it  does  not  recognise,  and  must  not  be  forced  to 
accept.     In  that  great  event  God  came  into  immediate  and 


EXODUS  XXIII.  10-19.  255 

manifest  contact  with  the  heavens  and  the  eartli,  reconstituted 
tlie  system  of  physical  things,  clothed  the  dry  land  witli  vege- 
tation, and  peojiled  it  with  animated  nature.  On  this  occa- 
sion, for  the  fir.st  time,  a  rational  inhabitant  was  placed  upon 
the  earth.  The  cycle  of  seven  days  during  which  this  creative 
process  was  completed  and  celebrated  imparted  an  association 
of  sacredness  to  the  nuniber  seven. 

The  Sabbatical  year,  which  is  here  mentioned  for  the  first 
time,  is  also  called  the  year  of  release.  In  this  year — 1.  the 
land  was  to  be  left  uncultivated,  and  its  spontaneous  growth 
made  common  to  the  servile,  the  })oor,  the  stranger,  and  the 
wild  animals.  Several  remarkable  effects  would  follow  from 
the  honest  carrj'ing  out  of  this  arrangement.  The  spirit  of 
avarice  would  be  kept  in  constant  and  effectual  check.  The 
opposite  feelings  of  compassion,  charity,  benevolence,  and 
brotherly  kindness  would  be  brought  into  play.  The  original 
equality  of  all  men  in  point  of  biith  and  right  would  rise  to 
the  surface  of  iiuman  observation.  The  habits  of  prudence 
and  economy  would  be  cherished,  as  the  produce  of  six  years 
must  be  so  husbanded  as  to  serve  for  seven  years.  A  profound 
and  practical  sense  of  dependence  upon  the  Lord  of  provi- 
dence would  be  awakened  in  the  breast  (Lev.  xxv.  2-8,  Joseph. 
Antiq.  iii.  1  2,  3),  This  institution  thus  harmonises  with  the 
Sabbath  in  breaking  down  the  nan-ow  selfishness  of  the  fallen 
nature,  and  fostering  the  disinterested  kindliness  that  springs 
up  in  the  new  heart.  2.  A  debt  owed  by  a  poor  man  who 
had  nothing  to  pay  was  to  be  remitted,  or  at  all  events  not 
exacted.  This  is  a  natural  consequence  of  the  intermission  of 
cultivation  during  the  seventh  year.  He  that  receives  no 
fruits  from  the  soil  is  not  in  a  condition  to  j)ay  debt.  This 
carries  the  liberality  of  the  affluent  brother  to  its  ultimate  ex- 
tent. The  poor  man  is  not  to  be  allowed  to  perish  though  he 
have  nothing  to  pay  (Deut.  xv.  1 ,  2).  S.  On  this  year,  during 
the  feast  of  tabernacles,  the  law  was  to  be  read  aloud  in  the 
audience  of  all  the  people.  On  this  Sabbath-year  it  was 
appropriate  that  the  great  principles  of  morality  should  be 
solemnly  presented  to  the  minds  of  the  people.  The  septen- 
nial Sabbath  thus  bore  a  complete  analogy  to  the  hebdomadal, 
Avhich  was  to  be  celebrated  by  a  holy  leisure  for  the  offices  of 
public  worship. 


256  LAWS  EEGARDING  SET  TIMES. 

V.  12,  13.  The  seventh  day  sabbath  is  here  introduced  in 
its  relation  to  civic  rights.  The  cattle,  the  servile,  and  the 
stranger  are  to  be  partakers  in  this  rest.  v.  13.  And  in  all 
that  I  have  said  to  you,  be  circvbmspect.  This  admonition 
appears  to  refer  to  the  precept  concerning  the  Sabbath.  And 
'mention  not  the  name  of  other  gods.  The  import  of  this  in- 
junction is  to  be  ascertained  from  the  nature  of  the  enactment 
to  which  it  refers.  The  fourth  commandment  belongs  to  that 
table  which  contains  our  duty  to  God.  It  prescribes,  more- 
over, the  day  on  which  religious  exercises  are  to  be  statedly 
observed.  It  is  the  only  precept  in  the  decalogue  which 
involves  the  ordinances  of  a  perpetual  worship,  and  keeps  alive 
in  the  breasts  of  the  people  the  remembrance  of  God,  of  his 
will  and  of  his  grace.  Hence  it  is  natural  that  the  people 
should  be  guarded  against  devoting  themselves  or  any  of  their 
thoughts  on  this  day  to  any  false  god.  This  is  therefore  not 
a  separate  precept,  but  an  incidental  warning  in  regard  to  the 
special  solemnities  of  the  Sabbath. 

Some  have  regarded  this  verse  as  a  concluding  formula  of 
admonition  referring  to  the  preceding  part  of  the  chapter  and 
marking  it  off  from  that  which  follows.  But  it  is  remarkable 
that  the  Masoretes  have  no  division  whatever  at  this  point 
of  the  text.  This  plainly  indicates  that  they  regarded  this 
verse  merely  as  the  completion  of  the  precept  concerning  the 
Sabbath,  and  not  an  independent  rule  or  closing  exhortation. 

V.  14-17.  The  next  five  precepts  refer  to  the  annual  festi- 
vals. The  first  determines  that  there  shall  be  three  such 
festivals  in  the  year.  v.  1 5.  The  second  enjoins  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread.  As  1  commanded  thee.  The  passover  or 
feast  of  unleavened  bread  has  been  already  instituted  (xii). 
A  nd  none  shall  appear  before  m,e  empty.  This  applies  to  all  the 
three  festivals,  and  refers  to  the  obligation  of  all  without  ex- 
ception to  provide  the  things  requisite  for  the  celebration  of 
each.  Freewill-offerings  might  be  presented  on  such  occasions  ; 
but  they  are  not  implied  in  these  words,  v.  1  6.  The  third 
relates  to  the  second  festival  (Lev.  xxiii.  15-22  ;  Num.  xxviii. 
26-31;  Deut.  xvi.  9-12).  It  wiis  called  the  feast  of  harvest, 
because  the  ijrain  harvest  was  drawing  to  a  close  at  the  time 
of  its  celebration  ;  the  day  of  first-fruits,  because  then  the  two 
loaves  made  of  the  new  corn  were  presented  (Num.  xxviii,  26) ; 


bXODTts  xxiii.  18,  19.  257 

and  the  feast  of  iveclcs  or  Pentecost,  because  it  was  kept  on  the 
morrow  after  the  seventh  Sabbath  from  tlie  Sabbath  of  the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread  (Deut.  xvi.  10).  The  fourth  refers 
to  the  third  festival  (Lev.  xxiii.  33-43  ;  Num.  xxix.  ]  2-31)  ; 
Deut.  xvi.  13-15).  This  is  called  the  feast  of  in-gathering, 
because  the  fruit  harvest  was  then  comj)leted  and  the  whole 
produce  of  the  ground  gathered  in  ;  and  the  feast  of  tabernacles, 
because  the  tabernacling  of  the  people  in  the  wilderness  was 
then  commemorated.  These  three  festivals  correspond  in  the 
main  with  the  three  elements  of  salvation  :  the  passover  with 
the  atonement  ;  the  pentecost  with  the  new  birth  ;  and  the 
feast  of  ingathering  with  pardon  and  its  accompanying  pleni- 
tude of  blessings.  The  pentecost  is  regarded  as  the  com])letion 
of  the  passover  ;  and  so  sanctification  invariably  accompanies 
justification.  Mercy  flows  forth  in  pardon  as  the  end  of  which 
the  atonement  and  the  new  birth  are  the  means.  So  the  feast 
of  ingathering  in  the  beginning  of  the  ancient  year  is  mediated 
by  the  feasts  of  the  passover  and  of  weeks  in  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year.  v.  1  7.  The  fifth  precept  affirms  the  obliga- 
tion of  all  males  to  appear  at  each  of  the  three  festivals. 

V.  18,  The  two  directions  in  this  verse  are  united  into  the 
eighth  regulation  by  their  common  reference  to  tlie  piissover. 
TJie  blood  of  Tny  sacrifice,  of  the  passover  lamb,  which  was 
peculiarly  God's  sacrifice  and  pre-eminently  the  type  of  the 
Messiah  (Jo.  i.  29).  Leavened  bread.  Leaven  is  that  which 
dissolves  and  corrupts.  It  is,  therefore,  a  fit  emblem  of  sin 
which  is  to  be  excluded  from  the  service  or  the  offerings  of 
God  (xii.  1  0).  I'he  fat  of  my  feast.  The  paschal  lamb  was 
to  be  wholly  consumed  in  the  evening  and  no  part  left  till  the 
morning.  This  is  the  rule,  whether  we  understand  "  the  fat 
of  my  feast  "  to  be  the  best  of  sacrifices,  that  is,  the  passover,- 
or,  what  is  more  likely,  the  fat  of  the  paschal  lamb,  which  was 
to  be  offered  to  the  Lord,  while  the  flesh  was  eaten  by  the 
worshippers. 

v.  1 9.  This  verse  contains  two  regulations.  That  con- 
cerning the  first-fi-uits  refers  to  the  feast  of  weeks,  when  the 
two  wave  loaves,  which  may  be  called  the  first  of  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  ground,  were  offered  unto  the  Lord  (Lev.  xxiii. 
1 7).  And  next  the  eastern  custom  of  occasionally  seething  in 
milk  here  comes  into  view  and  lias  survived  to  this  day.      The 

R 


258  THE  LAWS  OF  PIETY. 

prohibition  to  seethe  a  kid  in  the  mothers  milk  has  reference 
to  all  the  festivals  or  set  times  of  the  Lord.  It  appears  from 
the  regulations  concerning  these  (Num.  xxviii.  29),  that  one 
kid  of  the  goats  for  a  sin-offering  was  to  be  offered  in  the 
beginnings  of  the  months,  on  each  of  the  seven  days  of  the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread,  on  the  day  of  the  first  fruits,  on 
the  first  and  the  tenth  days  of  the  seventh  month  and  on 
each  of  the  eight  days  of  the  feast  of  tabernacles.  The  flesh 
of  this  kid  was  to  be  dressed  and  eaten  by  the  priests  in  the 
holy  place  (Lev.  vi.  26).  Hence  the  general  precept  comes  in 
here  that  a  kid  is  not  to  be  seethed  in  its  mother's  milk. 
The  dam  is  the  natural  mother  and  nurse  of  the  kid,  and  the 
milk  is  the  natural  aliment  by  which  life  is  sustained.  To 
employ  the  milk  of  the  very  dam  to  aid  in  cooking  the  kid 
for  food  is  a  rude  violation  of  the  order  of  nature,  and  to  pro- 
hibit such  a  custom  is  to  cultivate  those  feelings  of  considera- 
tion and  tenderness  in  the  daily  routine  of  our  thoughts  which 
sin  tends  to  quench  and  moral  training  is  intended  to  rekindle. 
This  minute  regulation  on  behalf  of  right  feeling,  involves  the 
great  principle  that  the  course  of  human  feeling  and  conduct 
ought  in  its  finest  as  well  as  its  broadest  lines  to  be  broujilit 
into  harmony  with  the  law  of  universal  benevolence. 

VII.    THE  LAWS  OF  PIETY. 

V.  20-83.  It  is  manifest  that  the  law  of  moral  thought  can- 
not be  spread  out  into  the  same  distinguishable  branches  as 
that  of  external  action.  Accordingly,  this  passage,  which  is 
marked  off  in  the  Masorah,  both  at  the  beginning  and  the 
end,  as  a  major  section,  is  not  very  obviously  divisible  into 
ten  rules  or  judgments.  It  bears  also  a  temporary  aspect, 
inasmuch  as  it  treats  of  matters  that  come  to  a  termintition 
wdien  the  people  are  settled  in  the  land  of  promise.  And  it 
consists  very  largely  of  promises,  which  scarcely  enter  into 
the  other  sections  of  this  code  of  civil  jurisprudence.  Never- 
theless, it  evidently  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  common  law 
of  Israel.  It  is  appropriate  and  essential  that  promises  should 
have  a  direct  or  indirect  part  in  "  the  book  of  the  covenant." 
Accordingly,  in  this  conclusion  of  the  civil  code,  promises  are 
intermingled  with  injunctions ;  and  though  some  of  them  are 


EXODUS  xxiii.  21,  22.  259 

terminable,  yet  tliey  prefigure  blessings  of  a  liiglier  order,  aiul 
of  perpetual  duration.  And  a  decade  of  commands  sccmiis  to 
be  here  intermingled  with  a  decade  of  promises. 

V.  20-23.  This  portion  contains  three  commands  and  threo 
promises,  v.  20.  Behold.  This  word  is  frequently  used  to 
introduce  an  important  intimation  concerning  the  future.  / 
send  cm  awjel  before  thee.  The  angel  here  ]iromised  is  very 
closely  allied  with  the  speaker  and  sender.  He  has  power  to 
"  pardon  transgressions."  The  reason  assigned  for  this  high 
prerogative  is,  "  For  my  name  is  in  his  inmost;"  my  nature 
is  in  his  essence.  This  intimates  a  substantial  identity.  We 
conclude  that  the  angel  here  is  God  manifest  in  angelic  offices 
to  His  people.  They  are  to  "beware  of  him,  to  hear  his 
voice,  and  provoke  him  not."  To  "  hear  his  voice,"  and  to  "do 
all  that  I  speak,"  appear  to  be  of  the  same  import.  All  these 
phrases  corroborate  the  conclusion  that  the  angel  is  God. 
He  is  sent  before  the  people  for  the  important  purposes  of 
keeping  them  in  the  way,  and  bringing  them  to  the  place 
prepared  for  them.  This  is  the  great  promise  of  the  passage. 
It  is  in  continuance,  and  at  the  same  time  in  advance  of 
former  assurances  (iii.  8,  xiii.  21,  22).  It  intimates,  at  the 
same  time,  a  certain  distance  in  point  of  moral  condition 
between  God  and  His  people,  which  is  bridged  over  by  means 
of  His  angel  (Gen.  xvi.  7). 

V.  21.  This  verse  contains  three  injunctions  regarding  this 
angel.  Beware  of  him.  Give  reverent  heed  to  him,  as  the 
Supreme  God  is  in  him.  Hear  his  voice.  Understand  and 
obey  him,  as  the  Lord  revealing  himself  by  his  word.  Pro- 
voke him  not.  Let  not  your  will  come  into  conflict  with  his 
will,  as  he  is  the  Great  Spirit,  who  is  to  be  worshipped  in 
sj)irit  and  in  truth. 

V.  22.  The  central  command  is  recapitulated  and  elucidate.l 
in  the  condition,  "  If  thou  indeed  hear  his  voice,  and  do  all 
that  I  speak."  This  verse  presents  a  second  promise,  conse- 
quent upon  the  former.  Then  will  I  he  an  enemy  unto  thine 
enemies.  This  phrase  refers  to  the  inward  feeling,  as  the  fol- 
lowing one  does  to  the  outward  display  of  hostility.  It  is 
liere  intimated,  in  general  terms,  that  the  Lord  and  His  peo- 
ple, while  they  weie  one  in  feeling  and  intei-est,  have  common 
enemies  in  this  world. 


2G0  THE  LAWS  OF  PIETY. 

V.  23.  A  fuller  specification  of  the  end  of  their  journey  is 
here  followed  by  a  third  promise.  The  Aniorite,  and  the 
Hittite,  and  the  Kenaanite,  the  Hivite  and  the  Jebusite,  are 
among  the  twelve  tribes  to  which  Keuaan  gave  rise,  eleven 
being  named  after  his  descendants  and  one  after  himself  (see 
Gen.  XV.  19).  The  Perizzite  makes  his  appearance  along  with 
the  Kenaanite  in  the  history  of  Abraham  (Gen.  xiii.  7). 
These  six  tribes  were  the  prominent  inhabitants  of  Kenaan  in 
the  time  of  Moses  (iii.  8).  The  Amorite  is  now  placed  first, 
as  the  most  prominent  in  transgression,  and  the  first  with 
whom  the  Israelites  are  to  come  into  contact.  And  I  will 
cut  them  off.  This  promise  is  in  accordance  with  a  purpose 
long  .since  announced.  Four  hundred  years  before,  the  Lord 
had  informed  Abraham,  that  "  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorites 
was  not  yet  full"  (Gen.  xv.  16).  This  is  no  arbitraiy  pro- 
cedure on  the  part  of  the  Most  High  Possessor  of  heaven  and 
earth.  It  is  an  act  of  retributive  justice.  What  was  the 
original  offence  of  the  Kenaanite,  whether  it  was  an  early 
apostasy  from  the  living  God,  the  ruthless  invasion  of  a  pre- 
occupied country,  and  the  barbarous  oppression  of  the  Shemite 
inhabitants,  among;  whom  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God 
still  lingered,  we  are  not  informed.  But  we  perceive  that  the 
original  crime  had  been  aggravated  by  a  course  of  transgres- 
sion which  made  the  nation  ripe  for  a  penal  extirpation. 

V.  24-26.  These  three  verses  contain  four  injunctions  and 
four  promises,  v.  24.  TJiou  sJialt  not  how  down  to  their  gods 
nor  serve  thera.  These  nations  are  manifestly  idolaters,  apos- 
tates from  the  livino-  and  true  God,  and  therefore  ranking 
among  those  that  hate  him  (xx.  5).  Their  idols  will  come 
under  the  notice  of  Israel  when  they  enter  the  land.  The 
idea  of  local  or  national  gods  had  become  familiar  to  thera  in 
Egypt.  And  a  superstitious  dread  of  entering  into  possession, 
without  propitiating  the  supposed  gods  of  the  land,  might 
still  lurk  in  their  breasts.  Hence  the  reasonableness  of  this 
precept  reiterating  the  prohibition  of  the  second  command- 
ment. Nor  do  after  their  works.  These  are  the  works  of  the 
people  of  the  land  ;  and  chief  among  these,  the  making  and 
worshipping  of  idols,  and  the  licentious  vices  which  accom- 
pany the  service  of  their  national  deities.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary to  reflect,  that  the  principal  objects  of  their  worship  were 


EXODUS  xxiir.  23,  24.  261 

a  male  deity,  Baal,  the  sun  god,  coinciding  in  attributes  with 
the  Apollo  and  Jupiter  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  ;  and  a 
female,  Beltis,  Ashtoreth,  the  moon  goddess,  resembling  in  her 
character  and  worshii)  the  Aphrodite  or  Venus  of  these 
natii)ns,  in  order  to  understand  the  revolting  nature  of  the 
bloody  and  lascivious  rites  and  customs  by  which  the  very 
name  of  religion  was  jMofaned.  Human  sacrifice  and  prosti- 
tution, in  tlie  national  worship,  were  sufficient  to  bury  all 
moral  feeling  in  the  grave  of  carnality.  Tluni  shalt  utierhj 
overthrow  them.  The  people  and  their  gods  seem  to  be  here 
associated  as  one  great  system  of  evil,  to  be  overwhelmed 
with  destruction.  "Their  pillars  "  are  the  monumental  stones, 
connected  in  a  rude  uncivilised  age  with  the  worship  of  these 
fallen  gods. 

V.  25.  And  ye  shall  serve  the  Lord  your  God.     This  is  the 
fourth  of  this  group  of  injunctions,  forming  the  counterpart 
of  the   three  that  went   before.      It  is  followed  by  the  four 
promises  of  this  passage.      He  shall  bless  thy  bread  and  thy 
water.     Bread  and  water,  the  main  elements  of  subsistence, 
stand  for  all   the  rest.     The  divine  blessing  gives  these  all 
their  value  to  a  rational  creature.      And  take  away  sickness 
from  the  midst  of  thee.      Next  to  the  means  of  life,  is  kealth 
to   enjoy  them.      Without   the  latter   the  former  are  of  no 
avail      V.  2G.  None  shall  miscarry  or  be  barren  in  thy  kind. 
This  secures  the  perpetuation  of  the  race.     The  number  of  thy 
days  will  I  falfil.      Length  of  life  in  peace  and  prosperity  is 
here  ensured  to  the  ftiitliful  nation.      The  sum  of  all  earthly 
prosperity  here  described,  is  at  the  same  time  an  earnest  and 
type  of  still  greater   blessings  in  an  advanced  stage  of  exist- 
ence.    God  begins  with   the  present,  and  will  never  fail  His 
confiding  people  through  an  endless  future. 

V.  27-33.  This  passage  adds  the  remaining  triad  of  pro- 
mises and  commands.  /  will  send  my  fear  before  thee.  The 
fame  of  the  mighty  deeds  by  which  Egypt  was  humbled  in 
the  dust,  and  Israel  delivered  and  kept  in  safety  through  the 
wilderness,  would  awaken  a  sense  of  alarm  in  the  nations  who 
were  living  in  rebellion  against  the  living  God.  Discouraged 
and  troubled  in  mind,  they  would  make  only  a  feeble  effort 
at  resistance,  and  ultimately  turn  theii-  backs  to  the  victorious 
invader. 


262  .  THE  LAWS  OF  PIETY. 

V.  28-SjO.  And  I  vnll  send  the  hornet  before  thee.  The 
hornet  is  here  used  collectively  for  a  plague  of  hornets  infest- 
ing the  laud.  This  plague  is  again  mentioned  (Deut.  vii.  20), 
and  a  passing  allusion  made  to  its  fulfilment  (Jos.  xxiv.  1  2). 
Some  suppose  this  to  be  a  figurative  description  of  certain 
cthei-wise  unknown  calamities  that  befel  these  nations  in  the 
war  of  extermination.  But  Bochart  (Hieroz.  iii.  p.  40U)  has 
shown  that  frogs,  mice,  and  other  small  animals  have  been  the 
means  of  annoying  and  banishing  whole  tribes  from  their  set- 
tlements. And  the  rapid  conquest  of  two  such  powerful 
kinirdoms  as  those  of  Sihon  and  Os;,  and  the  immediate  occu- 
pation  of  their  cities  (Num.  xxi.  21-35)  by  the  invaders,  are 
explained  by  the  fact,  that  they  had  been  enfeebled  and  dimi- 
nished by  a  plague  such  as  that  here  described.  There  is  no 
reason  whatever,  therefore,  to  retire  from  the  ground  of  plain 
matter  of  fact,  historically  recorded,  into  the  region  of  a  dark 
figurative  unknown,  which  cannot  be  filled  up  even  by  the 
imagination.  The  Hivite,  the  Kenaanite,  and  the  Hittite,  are 
to  be  the  chief  sufferers  from  the  plague  of  hornets.  But  the 
Amorites  also  were  exhausted  by  their  inroads  (Jos.  xxiv.  1 2), 
v.  29,  30.  A  gradual  removal  of  the  former  inhabitants  is 
here  ^ntimated,  on  the  ground  that  the  land  without  occu- 
pants would  be  infested  by  wild  beasts,  as  was  the  case  at 
the  time  of  the  exile  of  the  ten  tribes  (2  Kings  xvii.  25).  If 
the  former  nations  had  been  instantly  exterminated,  a  people 
consisting  of  1,600,000  could  not  have  at  once  occupied  the 
whole  land.  Besides,  the  territory  here  promised  was  much 
more  extensive  than  the  land  of  Kenaan. 

V.  31.  The  boundaries  of  the  promised  land  are  here  indi- 
cated. The  "wilderness"  is  that  of  Etham  and  Shur.  The 
"  river"  is  the  Phrat.  The  extent  of  territory  within  these 
bounds  cannot  be  less  than  490  miles  by  100,  and  therefore 
four  or  five  times  the  area  of  Palestine  proper.  It  is  to  be 
remembered  that  these  promises  are  here  made  conditional  on 
obedience  ;  and  therefore  their  fulfilment  was  in  some  degree 
modified  b}'  the  subsequent  conduct  of  the  people.  And  thou 
shall  drive  them  out  before  thee.  This  is  the  injunction  laid 
on  Israel  as  the  executioner  of  the  judgment  of  God. 

V.  32.  The  second  injimction  is  to  make  no  covenant  with 
the  people  or  their  idols. 


EXODUS  XXIV.  2(53 

V.  33.  The  idolatrous  people  are  to  be  banished  from  the 
land,  that  they  may  not  be  a  temptation  to  the  children  of 
Lsiaol.  The  order  of  thought  is  ;  their  dwelling  in  the  land 
will  be  a  snare  to  thee,  and  thou  wilt  serve  their  gods,  when 
thou  hast  tolerated  themselves  and  their  idolatrous  ways. 

This  com])lctes  the  book  of  the  covenant  in  four  chapters, 
containing  the  ten  commandments  for  the  moral  government 
of  man,  and  the  seventy  judgments  for  the  regulation  of 
civil  life. 


chaA  xxiv.  the  law  accepted. 

And  to  Closes  he  said,  Come  up  unto  the  Lord,  thou  and  Aaron, 
Nadal)  and  Abilui,  and  seventy  of  tlie  eld<n's  of  Israel ;  and  wor-ship 
yt'  afar  off.  2  And  Mosos  alone  shall  come  near  tlio  Lord,  hut  tlicy 
shall  not  come  near  :  and  the  people  shall  not  come  up  with  him.  3 
And  Moses  went  and  told  the  people  all  the  words  of  the  Loud  and  all 
the  judgments  :  and  all  the  people  answered  with  one  voice,  and  said, 
All  the  words  which  the  Lord  hath  spoken  will  we  do.  4  And  Mfises 
wrote  all  the  Avords  of  the  Lord,  and  rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  built  an  altar  under  the  mount,  and  twelve  pillars  for  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.  5  And  he  sent  young  men  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  and 
they  fjtfered  burnt-oHerings,  and  sacriticed  peace-oHerings  of  oxen  to 
the  Lord.  G  xind  Moses  took  half  of  the  blood  and  put  in  basins ; 
and  half  of  the  blood  he  sprinkled  on  the  altar.  7  And  he  took  the 
hook  of  the  covenant,  and  read  in  the  ears  of  the  people,  and  they  said, 
All  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  will  we  do  and  obey.  8  And  Moses 
took  the  blood  and  sitrinkled  on  all  the  people  ;  and  said.  Behold  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  wdiich  the  Lord  hath  made  with  you  according 
to  all  these  wonls. 

9  Then  went  up  ^Foses  and  Aanm,  ]Na<lab  and  Abihu,  and  seventy 
of  the  elders  of  Israel.  10  And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel  :  and  un- 
iler  his  feet  as  a  paved  work  of  sapphire  and  as  the  substance  of  heaven 
for  purity.  11  And  upon  the  nobles  of  the  sons  of  Israel  he  laid  not 
Iiis  hand  :  and  they  beheld  (_Jod,  and  ate  and  drank.  §  56. 

12  Ami  the  Lord  said  unto  Closes,  Come  up  to  me  into  the  mount 
and  be  there  :  and  I  will  give  thee  tables  of  stone  and  the  law  and 
the  commandment  which  I  have  written  to  teach  them.  13  And  Moses 
rose  up  and  Jo.shua  his  minister  ;  ami  Moses  went  up  to  the  mount  of 
(Jod.  14  And  to  the  elders  he  said.  Sit  ye  here  for  us,  until  W(;  come 
btck  unto  you  :  and  behold  Aaron  mid  Ilur  are  with  you;  whusuevur 


264  THE  CLOSING  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

hath  any  matter,  let  him  draw  near  unto  them.  15  And  Moses  went 
up  into  the  mount,  and  the  cloud  covered  the  mount.  16  And  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  abode  upon  Mount  Sinai,  and  the  cloud  covered  it 
six  days  :  and  he  called  unto  Moses  the  seventh  day  out  of  the  midst 
of  the  cloud.  17  And  the  sight  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  like 
devouring  fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount  in  the  eyes  of  tlie  sons  of  Israel. 
18  And  Moses  went  into  the  midst  of  the  cloud,  and  went  up  into  the 
mount :  and  Moses  was  in  the  mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights. 
19     IT     H     I    '39. 

The  formal  ratification  of  the  covenant  between  God  and 
'  his  peoj)le  is  the  appropriate  close  of  the  legislative  section 
which  forms  the  kernel  of  the  Book  of  Erodus.  The  admis- 
'  sion  of  Moses  and  the  other  representatives  of  the  people  into 
the  presence  of  God  is  the  natural  result  of  the  sealing  of  the 
covenant.  These  are,  accordingly,  the  two  topics  of  this  con- 
cluding chapter. 

V.  1-8.  The  closing  of  the  covenant.  And  to  Moses  he  said. 
The  words,  "  and  to  Moses,"  being  placed  first  in  the  original, 
are  emphatic.  This  places  the  following  words  addressed  to 
Moses  in  contrast  with  the  communication  begiin  in  xx.  22, 
and  addressed  to  the  people.  Come  up.  This  indicates  an 
approach  to  the  mountain  in  general.  ^In  the  present  case,  it 
includes  an  ascent  of  some  part  of  the  mountain  side.  Moses 
,  and  Aaron  ascend  as  the  propliet  and  priest  of  God  ;  Nadab 
I  and  Abihu,  as  the  elder  sons  of  Aaron,  henceforth  to  be 
associated  with  him  in  the  priesthood  ;  the  seventy  elders  as 
the  representative  heads  of  the  people.  /  The  number  seventy, 
which  we  might  expect  to  be  a  round  number  for  seventy- 
two,  or  six  out  of  every  tribe,  has  most  probably  a  historical 
reference  to  the  number  of  souls  that  constituted  the  whole 
family  of  Jacob  when  he  came  down  into  Egypt  (see  on  Gen. 
xlvi.  27).  And  worship  ye  afar  off.  This  shews  that  they 
were  not  to  ascend  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Moses 
shall  come  near ;  and  only  the  representatives  prescribed  shall 
come  at  alL 

V.  3.  And  Moses  ivent.  The  call  to  come  up  to  the  mount 
is  subsequent  both  in  its  utterance  and  in  the  time  of  its  exe- 
cution to  the  directions  given  in  xx.  22,  26,  which  imply  all 
that  Moses  now  proceeds  to  do.  And  told  the  peojyle.  The 
acceptance  of  the  covenant  is  to  be  an  intelligent  service.   A II 


EXODUS  XXIV.  12-15.  2G5 

the  ivords  of  (he  Lord.  Tliis  may  refer  to  all  tlie  wnrtls  con- 
tained in  the  preceding  four  chapters,  or  in  the  twentieth 
chapter  only.  The  ten  "  words,"  pre-eminently  so  called, 
Moses  may  have  now  rehearsed  to  the  people.  And  all  the 
jud(jmeids,  the  seven  decades  of  regulations  contained  in  the 
previous  three  chapters.  Will  we  do.  The  unanimous  assent 
of  the  people  is  the  virtual  acceptance  of  the  covenant. 

v.  4-8.  This  passage  contains  the  solemn  ratiKcation  of  the 
covenant.  And  Moses  ivrote.  All  the  words  of  the  Lord 
now  wiitten  constitute  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  afterwards 
mentioned.  Built  av  altar.  This  is  the  first  altar  erected  in 
compliance  with  the  precept  in  xx.  24-.  The  altar  indicates 
the  presence  of  God  in  covenant  with  his  people.  The  twelve 
jnllars,  placed  probably  in  a  circle  round  the  altar,  indicate 
the  presence  of  the  twelve  tribes  in  this  great  solemnization 
of  the  covenant.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  had  a  monumen- 
tal character,  as  we  hear  no  more  of  them. 

V.  5.  And  he  sent  young  men  of  the  sons  of  Israel.  These 
youths  are  not  to  be  fjirther  defined  as  first-born  or  Levites, 
but  as  fit  persons  selected  by  Moses  himself,  who  is  the  prin- 
cipal agent  in  mediating  the  covenant,  out  of  a  people  who 
are  all  a  "  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy  nation"  (xix.  (i). 
They  are  merely  the  ministers  of  Moses,  and  not  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  people,  who  are  the  seventy  elders,  and  occupy 
a  different  position  in  this  great  transaction.  Burnt-oferinf/s 
and  'peace-offerincjs,  types  of  atonement  and  thanksgiving 
(xx.  24). 

V.  6.  And  Moses  took  half  of  the  blood.  The  blood  is  that 
which  makes  atonement,  and  thereby  lays  the  foundation  for 
a  covenant  of  peace.  Hence  it  ratifies  the  covenant.  For 
this  purpose  it  is  divided  into  two  equal  parts.  The  one  is 
reserved  in  basins — the  other  is  sprinkled  on  the  altar.  There 
it  makes  propitiation,  and  in  the  present  instance  signifies 
concurrence  in  the  covenant. 

V.  7.  The  book  of  the  covenant,  which  he  had  just  written, 
contains  the  "  words  "  and  "judgments  "  of  the  previoiis  four 
chapters.  And  read.  Before,  he  told  or  reported  ;  now,  he 
solemnly  recites.  The  former  assent  of  the  people  authorised 
the  step  of  solemnizing  the  covenant.     This  unanimous  con- 


266  THE  CLOSING  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

sent,  after  a  second  deliberate  hearing,  is  the  formal  acceptance 
of  the  covenant. 

V.  8.  The  blood.  This  is  the  part  reserved  in  basins.  The 
blood  has  here  two  functions  to  fulfil — first  to  make  reconci- 
liation, and  then  by  its  application  to  determine  the  parties 
reconciled.  Its  offering  on  the  altar  conditionates  the  cove- 
nant ;  its  application  to  the  people  makes  them  parties  to  the 
covenant.  It  is  the  one  blood  that  accomplishes  the  pacifica- 
tion. Hence  Moses  sprinkles  the  reserved  portion  of  the 
atoning  blood  on  the  people,  saying,  "Behold,  the  blood  of  the 
covenant,  which  the  Lord  hath  made."  According  to  cdl  these 
words.  The  book  of  the  covenant  which  Moses  had  read 
contained  the  terms  of  the  covenant  to  which  they  had  now 
consented. 

V.  9-11.  The  ascent  to  a  certain  point  in  the  mountain 
side,  to  which  reference  was  made  in  the  first  verse,  is  now 
accomplished.  To  what  point  they  ascended  would  be  a  very 
unprofitable  enquiry.  It  is  incomparably  more  important  to 
mark  the  fact  that  now,  when  the  covenant  lias  received  its 
solemn  and  final  sanction,  the  people  have  access  to  God. 
Hence  by  their  representations  they  enter  into  the  presence  of 
God.  V.  10.  And  they  saiu  the  God  of  Israel.  We  take 
these  words  in  their  simple  sense.  Whatever  were  the  sen- 
sible circumstances  of  the  divine  presence,  they  were  permitted 
to  see  with  the  eye  of  sense.  Whatever  aspect  of  God  him- 
self with  face  averted  from  them  was  presented  to  them,  they 
discerned,  we  may  venture  to  presume,  with  the  eye  of  the 
spirit.  Hence  they  do  not  say  a  word  of  the  "  similitude  of 
any  figure  "  of  the  Divine  Being,  because  they  had  not  seen 
any  such  (xxxiii.  20-23,  Dent.  iv.  15-19).  The  God  of  Israel. 
As  he  was  the  God  of  Abraham  when  alone,  the  God  of  Jacob 
when  the  head  of  a  family,  so  now  he  is  the  God  of  Israel  as 
a  people  in  covenant  with  him.  A  paved  ivorh  of  sapphire. 
But  the  spectators  of  that  heavenly  vision  can  only  describe 
the  outwardly  visible  glory  that  came  before  them.  This 
phrase  is  otherwise  rendered  "  a  work  of  the  whiteness  or 
transparency  of  sapphire."  It  is  not  of  great  importance  which 
rendering  is  adopted,  as  what  they  saw  is  only  compared  with 
this,  and  therefore  only  distantly  illustrated  by  it.  Hut  we 
prefer  the  former  rendering  with  Abenezra,  because  the  sap- 
phire is  of  various  colours,  blue,  red,  yellow,  and  white,  and 


EXODUS  XXIV.  li'-15.  2G7 

the  word  "  work  "  ('"I'h'J?^)  is  genonilly  connected,  not  with 
colour,  hut  with  the  material,  the  art,  or  the  artificer.  A  paved 
Avork  of  sapphire  is  descriptive  of  a  scene  of  matchless  splen- 
dour, having  the  qualities  of  adamantine  solidity,  transparence, 
and  brilliancy.  The  auhdance  of  heaven  for  jmritij.  The 
sid)stance  of  heaven  is  a  phrase  for  the  very  heaven  itself. 
Nothing  less  than  the  spotless  purity  and  lustre  of  the  skies 
above  is  fit  to  be  conijiared  with  the  inexpressible  beauty  and 
Cfrandeur  of  that  which  was  beneath  the  feet  of  the  God  of 
Israel.  With  this  short  sentence  ends  the  description.  A 
fancy  sketch  would  have  been  more  copious,  v.  1 1 .  Upon 
the  nobles  of  the  sons  of  It<vael  he  laid  not  his  hand.  He  did 
not  consume  them  with  the  fire  of  his  holiness,  because  they 
had  now  with  the  whole  consent  of  their  minds  entered  into 
a  covenant  of  peace  with  him  tinongh  the  blood  of  atonement. 
They  were,  therefore,  favoured  with  the  vi.sion  of  the  Almighty. 
They  beheld  God.  This  is  the  verb  generally  employed  to 
denote  the  vision  of  the  prophet.  It  denotes  attentive  and 
absorbed  contemplation.  And  ate  ami  drank..  Notwith- 
standing the  contemplation  of  the  infinitely  holy  One,  they 
continued  to  discharge  the  functions  of  an  earthly  life.  This 
is  supposed  to  refer  to  their  partaking  of  the  peace-ofFcrings 
on  their  descent ;  but  it  seems  to  be  merely  a  proverbial 
phrase  to  denote  the  continuance  of  life. 

v.  Ii2-18.  This  passage  describes  the  ascent  of  Moses  to  the 
actual  summit  of  the  mount.  Come  vp.  This  may  be  under- 
stood to  imply  that  Moses  and  the  others  had  descended  to 
partake  of  the  sacrificial  feast.  At  all  events,  they  were  still 
within  reach  of  any  of  the  people  who  might  have  business 
Avith  them.  But  Moses  was  now  to  ascend  farther.  And  be 
there.  Abide  there  for  a  considerable  time.  Tables  of  stone, 
slabs  or  tablets  on  which  the  law  was  written.  The  law,  or 
doctrine  concerninfj  Gud  and  his  ri<dits.  2'he  comntandmettt, 
the  authoritative  rule  for  the  conduct  of  man.  The  rea.sonable 
natui-e  of  the  ten  words  inscribed  on  the  tables  of  stone 
appears  from  the  fact  that  they  first  reveal  a  doctrine  and 
then  ini[)ose  an  obligation  founded  on  that  doctrine.  Which 
I  have  v:rltten.  These  words  were  not  only  spoken  V>y  the 
voice,  but  written  by  the  finger  of  God,  who  herein  disjdays 
a  wondrous  caie  of  his  chosen  people.     To  teach  them.     In  the 


268  MOSES  ASCENDS  THE  MOUNT. 

original  we  have  here  the  same  root  that  is  contained  in  the 
word  rendered  "  law."  God's  law  is  a  doctrine,  a  philosophy, 
a  theology. 

V.  1  3.  And  Moses  rose  up,  from  a  state  of  rest  and  con- 
templation. And  Joshua  his  minister.  Joshua  has  already 
come  before  us  as  captain  of  the  host  against  Amalek  (xvii.  0). 
He  is  described  here  as  the  minister,  attendant,  or  adjutant  of 
Moses.  His  presence  has  not  been  noticed  among  those  who 
went  up  to  the  mountain.  He  must  have  been  in  attendance 
upon  Moses.  Some  suppose  he  was  one  of  the  seventy  elders, 
but  his  youth  militates  against  this  view.  v.  14.  Before 
leaving  them,  Moses  commanded  the  elders  to  await  his  return 
where  they  were,  and  pointed  out  Aai'on  and  Hur  as  his  repre- 
sentatives to  the  people,  v.  15.  He  now  at  length  ascends 
into  the  mount,  accompanied  by  Joshua  alone  to  the  very 
verge  of  the  cloud  which  covered  the  mount,  v.  16.  Six  days 
he  waits  in  the  precincts  of  the  cloud,  and  on  the  seventh  day 
he  is  summoned  into  the  presence  of  the  Majesty  on  high.  If 
the  giving  of  the  law  fell  on  the  sixth  of  the  third  month,  and 
a  day  be  allowed  for  the  ratification  of  the  covenant,  the 
seventh  day  after,  on  which  Moses  at  length  ascends  into  the 
mount,  will  be  the  fourteenth  of  the  third  month,  v.  17.  The 
sons  of  Israel  contemplated  with  solemn  awe  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  displayed  on  Mount  Sinai,  which  appeared  to  them  as  a 
vast  flame  of  devouring  fire,  v,  1 8.  Into  this  flaming  mount 
Moses,  at  the  call  of  God,  ascended,  and  abode  in  that  won- 
drous scene  forty  days  and  forty  nights.  The  stately  march 
of  the  narrative  throughout  this  passage  corresponds  with  the 
unparalleled  grandeur  of  the  occasion. 


SECTION  v.— THE  TABERNACLE. 

XIII.    PLAN  OF  THE  TABERNACLE. EXODUS   XXV.-XXXL 

CHAP.  XXV.    THE  ARK,  TABLE,  AND  CANDLESTICK. 

2.  nonn  gift,  arrapyji,  that  which  is  lifted  up  or  heaved,  and 
hence  denoting  specially  the  heave-offering,  whicli  got  its 
name  from  the  manner  in  which  it  was  heaved  up  when  pre- 
sented. 

4.  npari  hay.ivdoi  violet  or  blue,  a  dark  blue  obtained  from  the 

niurex,  a  shell-fish  of  the  coasts  of  Phcenicia,  Laconia,  and 
north  Africa.  The  dye  is  originally  white,  then  green,  and 
lastly  a  blue  purple. 

|p3~iN  r70ff!vpa  red,  i^urple,  obtained  from  the  purpura,  a  fish 
of  Syrian  and  Peloponnesian  shores. 

r\]pr\  worm.  VB'  crimson,  from  a  root  signifying  to  sJiine. 
The  two  words  denote  the  Kermes  worm,  or  the  dye  obtained 
from  it.  This  worm  or  insect  is  found  on  the  ilex  or  hohn 
oak  in  Palestine  and  the  south  of  Europe, 

^^  /Sjffo-os,  Jiax,  the  sheuti  of  old  Egyptian,  which  was  fine 
flax,  not  cotton. 

5.  tj'nn  is  variously  conjectured  to  be  the  badger,  the  seal, 
the  dolphin,  and  the  tacasse,  a  species  of  antelope  found  in 
Africa,      r.  nrn  he  silent,  it  is  said  from  its  hibernation. 

6.  Db'3  or  Db'3  sv)eet  smell,  spice.  D^'?  the  balsam,  by  the 
insertion  of  I  in  the  Arabic  form  of  the  word.  This  plant  is 
common  in  Palestine. 

DVi)p  spices,  2^crfames,  from  the  sweet  smell. 

IG.  r\r}]}  testimony.  "^^V  to  he  fast,  fii-m,  sure.  '^''V'}  assure, 
attest.  *iy  ivitness.  "i^  fix,  airpoint.  nnj^  appointed  meeting, 
regularly  constituted  assembly. 


270  THE  ARK,  TABLE,  AND  CANDLESTICK. 

17.  ni33  iXadT/jpiov,  l-Tt'ikiui,  propitiatorium,  mercy-seat.  r.  in 
Kal,  lay  on  (pitch);  in  Piel,  expiate. 

29.  i^ipyi?  rpvZXiov,  a  large  dish  or  plate  for  bread.  Those 
presented  by  the  princes  of  Israel  weighed  each  180  shekels, 
or  about  five  pounds  troy  weight  (Num.  vii.   1 3). 

^3  'pahn,  sole.  In  pi.  dulffKai,  hoivls  or  smaller  plates  for 
holding  frankincense,  which  were  placed  upon  the  bread. 
Each  of  those  pi'esented  by  the  princes  weighed  ten  shekels, 
or  about  four  and  a  half  ounces. 

nilbip  srodiTa,  bowls  or  flagons  holding  wine  for  libations. 

ni»'i'30  y.xja&oi,  cups  used  in  drink-ofierings. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying :  2  Speak  unto  the  sons 
of  Israel,  that  they  take  for  me  an  offering  :  of  every  man  whose  heart 
is  wilHng  ye  shall  take  my  offering.  3  And  this  is  the  offering  which 
ye  shall  take  of  them ;  gold  and  silver  and  brass.  4  And  blue  and 
purple  and  crimson  ;  and  fine  linen  and  goats'  hair  ;  5  And  rams'  skins 
dyed  red,  and  badgers'  skins  ;  and  shittah  wood  ;  6  Oil  for  the  light ; 
spices  for  the  anointing  oil  and  for  the  incense  of  perfumes  ;  7  Onyx 
stones,  and  stones  for  the  ephod  and  for  tlie  breastplate.  8  And  they 
shall  make  me  a  sanctuary,  that  I  may  dwell  among  them.  9  Accord- 
ing to  all  that  I  show  thee,  after  the  pattern  of  the  tabernacle  and  the 
pattern  of  all  its  instruments,  even  so  shall  ye  make  it.  §  59. 

10  And  they  shall  make  an  ark  of  shittah  wood  :  two  cuhits 
and  a  half  shall  be  its  length,  a  cubit  and  a  half  its  breadth, 
and  a  cubit  and  a  half  its  height.  11  And  thou  shalt  overlay 
it  with  pure  gctld,  within  and  without  shalt  thou  overlay  it  : 
and  thou  shalt  make  upon  it  a  crown  of  gold  round  about.  12  And 
thou  shalt  cast  for  it  four  rings  of  gold,  and  put  them  on  its  four  feet : 
and  two  rings  shall  be  on  the  one  side  of  it  and  two  rings  on  the  other 
side  of  it.  13  And  thou  shalt  make  staves  of  shittah  wood,  and  over- 
lay them  with  gold.  14  And  thou  shalt  put  the  staves  in  the  rings 
on  the  sides  of  the  ark,  to  bear  the  ark  with  them.  15  The  staves 
shall  be  in  the  rings  of  the  ark ;  they  shall  not  depart  from  it.  16  And 
thou  shalt  put  into  the  ark  the  testimony  which  I  shall  give  thee. 

17  And  thou  shalt  make  a  mercy- seat  of  pure  gold  :  two  cubits  and 
a  half  shall  he  its  length  and  a  cuhit  and  a  half  its  breadth.  18  And 
thou  shalt  make  two  cherubim  of  gold  ;  of  beaten  work  shalt  thou 
make  them,  on  the  two  ends  of  the  mercy-seat.  19  And  make  one 
cherub  on  the  one  end  and  the  other  cherub  on  the  other  end ;  out  of 
the  mercy-seat  shall  ye  make  the  cherubim  on  its  two  ends.     20  And 


EXODUS  XXV.  271 

tlio  olicrultiin  .sh;ill  spread  out  two  wings  abovo,  covpriiifj  tho  iiicirv. 
scat  with  their  wings,  and  their  faces  each  to  the  other;  toward  tho 
mercy-seat  sljall  the  faces  of  the  clieruhini  he.  21  And  thou  shalt 
])ut  the  nierey-seat  on  the  ark  from  ahove  :  and  in  tlie  ark  shidt  tliou 
jiut  the  testimony  that  I  shall  give  thee.  22  And  I  XVill  meet  with 
thee  there,  and  speak  with  thee  from  above  the  mercy-seat,  from  be- 
tween the  two  cherubim  which  are  upon  tlie  ark  of  the  testimony,  of 
all  that  I  command  thee  concerning  the  sons  of  Israel.  ^  40. 

23  And  thou  sludt  make  a  table  of  shittah  wood  :  two  cubits  shall 
be  its  length,  and  a  cubit  its  breadth,  ami  a  cubit  and  a  half  its  height. 
24  And  thou  shalt  overlay  it  with  i>ure  gold,  and  make  for  it  a  crown 
of  g(dd  round  about.  25  And  thou  shalt  make  for  it  a  border  of  a 
hand-breadth  round  about,  ami  make  a  crown  of  gold  for  the  border 
thereof  round  about.  2G  And  thou  shalt  make  for  it  four  rings  of 
gold  ;  and  put  the  rings  on  the  four  corners  of  its  four  feet.  27  Over 
against  the  border  shall  be  the  rings  for  jilaces  for  the  staves  to  bear 
the  table.  28  And  thou  shalt  make  the  staves  of  shittah  wood,  and 
overlay  them  with  gold  ;  and  the  table  shall  be  borne  with  them. 
29  And  thou  shalt  make  its  dishes,  and  its  bowds,  and  its  flagons,  and 
its  cups,  to  pour  out  withal  :  of  pure  gold  shalt  thou  make  them.  30 
And  thou  shalt  set  on  the  table  shew  bi-ead  before  me  alway.       ^  41. 

31  And  thou  shalt  make  a  candlestick  of  pure  gold  :  of  beaten  work 
shall  the  candlestick  be  made ;  its  block  and  its  shaft,  its  cups,  its 
knops  and  its  flowers,  shall  l)e  of  the  same.  32  And  six  branches 
shall  come  out  of  the  sides  of  it ;  three  branches  of  the  candlestick 
out  of  the  one  side,  and  three  branches  of  the  candlestick  out  of  the 
other  side.  33  Three  almond-shaped  cups  in  one  branch,  a  knop  and 
a  flower  ;  and  three  almond-shaped  cups  in  another  branch,  a  knop  and 
a  flower  :  so  for  the  six  branches  coming  out  of  the  candlestick.  34 
And  in  the  candlestick  shall  be  four  almond-shaped  cups,  its  knops  and 
its  flowers.  35  And  there  shall  be  a  knop  under  two  branches  of  the 
same,  and  a  knop  under  tw*o  branches  of  the  same,  and  a  knop  under 
two  branches'  of  the  same ;  for  the  six  branches  coming  out  of  the 
candlestick.  30  Their  knops  and  their  branches  shall  be  of  the  same; 
all  of  it  shall  be  one  l)eaten  piece  of  pure  gold.  37  And  thou  shalt 
nuike  the  seven  lamps  thereof;  and  he  shall  set  up  the  lamjis  there- 
of and  give  light  over  against  it.  38  And  its  snuflers  and  its  snufl*- 
dishes  shall  be  of  pure  gold.  39  Of  a  talent  of  pure  gold  shall  he 
make  it  with  all  these  vessels.  40  And  see  that  thou  make  them  after 
their  pattern  which  thou  wa.st  shown  in  the  mount.  §  GO. 

The  substance  of  the  covenant  muJe  in  the  previous  siclion 


272  THE  AEK,  TABLE,  AND  CANDLESTICK. 

may  be  conve3'-ed  in  the  formula :  "  I  will  take  you  to  me  for 
a  people,  and  I  will  be  to  you  a  God,"  (vi.  7,  xix.  5,  6,  xx.  2) 
The  natural  consequence  of  this  is  tlmt  he  \\'ill  take  up  his 
abode  among  them  and  enter  into  all  the  intercourse  of  sacred 
fellowship  with  them.  For  this  purpose  an  abode  is  to  be 
prepared  for  God  and  provided  with  the  needful  furniture. 
But  inasmuch  as  the  people  belong  to  a  fallen  race  upon  whom 
the  curse  of  disobedience  has  descended,  a  type  at  least  of  pro- 
pitiation and  intercession  must  form  a  pai-t  of  the  ceremonial 
intercourse  between  God  and  his  people  until  the  reality  of 
these  priestly  functions  has  at  length  arrived. 

The  tabernacle  is  the  home  of  God  among  his  ransomed 
people.  It  is  in  general  an  adumbration  of  the  great  primeval 
dwelling  place  of  God  where  he  holds  converse  with  the  mani- 
fold ranks  and  estates  of  his  rational  and  righteous  creatures. 
We  are  wont  to  imagine  this  to  be  some  central  place  whither 
the  myriads  of  the  intelligent  universe,  may  convene  for  the 
business  of  heaven,  and  for  the  recreations  of  hospitable  and 
friendly  intercourse  in  the  heaven  of  heavens.  But  we  are 
not  to  bind  the  Omnipresent  to  this  habitual  conception  of  our 
minds.  For  aught  we  can  know  there  may  be  as  many  cen- 
tres of  home  for  the  supreme  as  there  are  spheres  of  spiritual 
beings  susceptible  of  the  unutterable  joys  of  the  divine  home 
and  presence  and  converse.  Hence  there  may  be  a  broad 
basis  of  truth  in  all  the  varying  interpretations  which  the 
prolific  imaginations  of  thoughtful  men  have  put  upon  this 
profoundly  interesting  portion  of  scripture.  But  with  a  due 
regard  to  the  occasion  on  which  the  tabernacle  was  instituted, 
the  stage  at  which  human  knowledge  had  then  arrived,  and 
the  life  and  freshness  of  the  truth  which  it  shadows  forth,  it 
is  best  to  adhere  to  the  simple  idea  of  a  home,  where  God  dwells 
on  terms  of  affectionate  and  familiar  intimacy  with  his  re- 
deemed and  reconciled  people.  This  is  the  generic  conception 
of  the  tabernacle.  Yet  we  should  come  far  short  of  a  correct 
apprehension  of  its  nature,  if  we  did  not  bring  out  into  con- 
spicuous prominence  its  specific  difference.  It  is  to  be  re- 
membered as  a  fact  of  essential  moment  that  the  people  among 
whom  God  is  here  to  dwell  are  undergoing  a  process  of  sancti- 
fication,  which  is  begun  in  each  individual  b}'  accepting  a 
pardon  freely  bestowed,  and  a  propitiation  typically  made  on 


EXODUS  XXV.  1-9.  273 

liis  behalf.  Hence  the  paternal  house  or  heaven,  which  the 
tabernacle  represents,  is  not  merely  the  general  home  of  the 
intelligent  universe,  but  the  heaven  of  the  redeemed,  where 
the  liamb  will  be  a  conspicuous  figure,  and  the  psalm  of  praise 
will  be  the  new  song  of  redemi)ti()n,  transcending  in  its  revela- 
tion of  the  divine  nature  the  older  song  of  creation.  Hence 
the  whole  service  of  the  sanctuary  is  typical  of  the  higher 
blessings  of  salvation,  of  the  true  high  priest,  of  the  really 
atoning  sacrifice,  of  the  heaven  of  redemption,  and  of  that 
spiritual  fellowship  which  the  saints  will  have  with  the  Lord 
in  glory.  It  is  the  flower  of  the  whole  economy  of  grace, 
giving  fair  promise  of  the  fruit  in  due  season.  Hence  we  can 
understand  the  place  and  space  given  to  the  tabernacle  in  this 
book  of  the  exodus.  The  tabernacle  expands  and  completes 
what  was  represented  in  brief  by  the  lan)b  of  the  passover. 
It  sets  foi'th  the  blessinirs  which  flow  from  reconciliation.  It 
is  the  glorious  end  to  which  all  the  pieliminary  steps  of  the 
deliverance  and  the  covenant  lead.  It  occupies  a  proportion- 
ate amplitude  of  space  in  the  records  of  God's  dealings  with  his 
people.  Seven  chapters  are  devoted  to  the  specifications  of 
the  tabernacle,  and  six  to  its  construction  and  erection,  between 
which  are  three  chapters  giving  an  account  of  a  lamentable 
act  of  unbelief  and  apostasy  on  the  part  of  the  chosen  people. 

Of  the  seven  chapters  of  specification  three  are  assigned  to 
the  tabernacle  itself,  three  to  the  priest  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
one  to  the  ag-angcments  for  having  the  whole  carried  into 
effect  in  an  efficient  and  irreproachable  manner. 

The  present  chapter  contains  directions  concerning  the  con- 
tribution of  the  materials,  and  the  construction  of  the  ark,  the 
table,  and  the  candlestick. 

V.  1-9.  The  order  for  the  contribution  of  materials  to  con- 
struct the  tabernacle.  An  offering  is  here  a  gift  called  by 
the  name  of  the  heave-offering  (xxix.  27).  Of  every  man 
whose  heart  is  willing.  A  forced  service  is  ordy  a  bodily  ser- 
vice. A  free-will  oflfering  is  alone  accej)table  to  the  Searcher 
of  hearts,  v.  3-7.  The  materials  of  the  offering  and  of  the 
tabernacle  are  all  definitely  presciibed.  There  are  three 
metals  ;  three  colours  of  animal  origin  ;  two  textile  fabrics, 
the  one  vegetable,  the  other  animal ;  two  sorts  of  skins ;  one 
species  of  wood  ;  oil  from  the  olive  ;  spices  ;  onyx  stones,  and 

S 


274;  THE  MATERIALS  FOR  THE  TABERNACLE. 

other  precious  stones  twelve  in  number  for  setting.  Reckon- 
ing spices  as  one  class,  and  precious  stones  as  another,  we 
have  here  twice  seven  kinds  of  material,  of  which  four  are 
from  the  mineral  kingdom,  four  from  the  vegetable,  and  six 
from  the  animal.  Blue  is  a  purple  colour  from  the  murex ; 
purple  is  the  red  purple  obtained  from  the  purpura ;  and 
crimson  the  red  extracted  from  the  coccus  or  kermes,  sup- 
posed by  some  of  the  ancients  to  be  a  berry,  but  in  reality  an 
insect  adhering  to  the  holm-oak.  Fine  linen,  a  product  for 
which  Egypt  was  celebrated.  Rains'  shins  dyed  red.  This 
cannot  be  naturally  rendered  skins  of  red  rams.  Badgers 
sJcins.  The  badger  is  a  native  of  Europe.  It  is  probable  that 
the  animal  here  intended  is  different.  But  whether  it  be  the 
seal,  dolphin,  tacasse,  or  some  other  animal,  is  a  matter  of  con- 
jecture. The  familiar  word  badger  may  be  retained  with  the 
understanding  that  it  is  used  for  an  unknown  animal  easily 
obtained  in  the  peninsula  of  Sinai.  Shittah  wood.  This  is 
the  Egyptian  and  Arabic  shant,  or  acacia,  which  must  have 
been  large  and  abundant  in  the  time  of  Moses.  It  is  now 
employed  by  the  Arabs  for  making  charcoal,  and  is  therefore 
seldom  allowed  to  attain  to  a  great  age.  Oil  is  obtained  from 
the  olive  tree,  a  native  of  Asia,  and  abounding  in  the  south  of 
Europe.  Spices.  Arabia  is  celebrated  for  its  spices,  which 
are  here  comprehended  under  a  generic  term.  The  precious 
stones  are  afterwards  enumerated  (xxviii.  J  6),  and  the  ephod 
and  breastplate  described  (xxviii.  6,  15). 

V,  8,  9.  A  sanctuary.  A  holy  place,  where  God  might 
dwell  among  his  people.  Its  chief  distinction  was  its  holiness, 
as  it  was  to  be  among  the  children  of  the  fall,  who  were 
morally  impure.  According  to  all  that  I  shoiu  thee.  I  am 
about  to  show  thee  the  pattern  of  the  tabernacle,  and  of  all 
things  connected  with  it.  The  tabernacle  itself  was  a  type  of 
the  dwelling-place  of  the  Most  High  in  the  heaven  of  heavens. 
But  the  pattern  of  it  was  the  ideal  form  or  plan  according  to 
which  it  was  to  be  constructed  for  earthly  use.  The  divine 
origin  of  this  plan  proves  the  profound  significance  of  the 
tabernacle  and  all  its  appurtenances. 

It  is  obvious  that  there  is  an  analogy  between  the  taber- 
nacle service  and  the  ritual  of  the  Egyptians  and  other  Gen- 
tiles.    But  it  is  equally  obvious  that  the  resemblance  between 


EXODUS  XXV.  10-lG.  275 

tliem  is  not  the  result  of  servile  imitation  or  simple  adoption 
oil  the  part  of  Moses.  It  is  founded  on  deeper  and  more 
recondite  principles.  In  the  first  place,  the  constitution  of  the 
human  race  involves  a  fundamental  similitude  in  the  modes 
of  human  worship.  This  race  Avas  in  its  head  created  after 
the  image  of  God  in  reason,  will,  and  power,  and  then  by  an 
act  of  disobedience  plunged  into  the  abyss  of  guilt  and  sin. 
The  common  reason,  though  stunned  by  this  fall,  will  arrive 
at  certain  common  principles  of  religious  truth,  mingled  and  dis- 
torted, no  doubt,  by  dark  and  fatal  misconceptions.  In  the  next 
place,  tradition  has  left  indelible  traces  of  primeval  facts  and 
thoughts  upon  the  mind  of  man,  which  have  entered  into 
combination  with  the  thousand  strange  and  grotesque  vagaries 
of  a  wanton  imagination.  And  lastly,  Moses  was,  in  the  pro- 
vidence of  God,  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians  of 
that  day,  and  equall}^  familiarised  with  all  the  experience  of 
the  Midianites  in  the  wilds  of  Arabia.  Through  a  mind  so 
trained  for  twice  forty  years  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  convey 
to  his  people  the  written  revelation  of  his  will,  the  fundamen- 
tal principles  of  his  law,  and  the  minute  specifications  of  his 
worship.  These  facts  are  sufficient  to  account  for  the  origin- 
ality and  independence  of  the  Mosaic  economy,  and  for  the 
resemblances  and  differences  which  may  be  traced  between  it 
and  the  religious  institutions  of  surrounding  nations.  It  is 
to  be  expected,  not  that  the  early  customs  of  the  Egyptians 
and  Midianites  will  throw  much  light  on  those  of  the  Israel- 
ites, but  rather  that  the  latter  in  their  plainly  written  form 
will  contribute  to  the  elucidation  of  the  former.  And  accord- 
ingly this  expectation  has  already  been  in  a  very  signal  man- 
ner realised.  The  antifpiities  of  Eastern  nations,  from  Egypt 
to  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  are  constantly  receiving  illustration 
from  the  Bible. 

V.  lO-lG.  The  ark  of  the  testimony.  The  ark,  like  the 
tabernacle  itself,  derives  its  whole  importance  from  that  which 
it  contains.  It  is  a  box  or  chest  of  sluttah  wood.  The  shant 
of  Egypt  and  Arabia  grew  to  the  height  of  twenty  or  twmty- 
five  feet.  Its  wood  was  light,  durable,  and  capable  of  taking 
a  polish  and  of  resisting  damp.  The  cubit  is  the  length  from 
the  elbow  to  the  tip  of  the  middle  finger,  and  is  variously 
estimated  at  a  foot  and  a  half  and  upwards  to  a  foot  and  three 


276  THE  MERCY-SEAT. 

quarters.      It  contains  two  spans,  and  each  span  three  palms 
or  handbreadths.       The  Babylonian  cubit,  which  consisted  of 
seven  palms,  seems  to  have  been  sometimes  employed  (2  Chron. 
iii.  3,  Ezek.  xl.  5),  but  only  after  the  captivity,     v.  11.  And 
thou  shalt  overlay  it.     This  was  not  a  mei'e  gilding,  but  a 
covering  of  the  surface  with  thin   plates  of  gold,  as  we  infer 
from  1  Kings  vi,  16,   and  2  Chron.  iii.  6.      The  Talmud  goes 
so  far  as  to  conclude  that  three  chests  were  made,  an  outer  one 
of  gold  plate,  a  middle  one  of  shittah  timber,  and  an  inner  one 
of  gold  plate.      Ujjon  it  a  crown  of  gold.      This  was  a  border 
or  cornice  of  pure  gold  round  the  upper  edge  of  the  ark, 
adorning  and  at  the  same  time  strengthening  it  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  mercy-seat.     v.  1 2.  Four  rings  or  staples  of  gold 
are  to  be  fastened  on  the  two  sides  or  ends  of  the  ark.     They 
are    to   be    attached  to    the  feet  or  supports  by    which  the 
ark  was  raised  above  the  level  of  the  floor,      v.  13-15.     The 
staves  or  poles  were  of  acacia  wood  overlaid  with  gold.    They 
passed  through  the  rings  at  the  ends  of  the  ark,  and  as  these 
were  attached  to  the  feet   the   ark  was  elevated  above  the 
bearers  (1  Kings  viii.  8).     v.  16.    Thou  shalt  init  into  the  ark 
the    testimony.     This    testimony   is    the  ten  commandments 
engraven  on  the  two  tables  of  stone  (xxxi.  1 8).     These  ten 
words  are  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  to  the  people  concerning 
the  relation  subsisting  between  them,  and  the  duties  conse- 
quent thereon.      The  contents  of  this  cabinet  distinguish  it 
from  all  heathen  chests  of  a  similar  kind   in  which  were  de- 
posited certain  symbols  of  the  powers  of  nature  which  man 
regarded  with  a  superstitious  veneration.      Here  are  placed 
the  two  tables,  on  which  are  traced  in  plain  and  literal  char- 
acters the  great  principles  of  eternal  rectitude,  not  as  an  object 
of  worship,  but  as  the  basis  of  all  moral  dealing  in  the  inter- 
course between  God  and  man.      There  is  a  significance  in  the 
very  order  in  which  the  portions  of  this  symbolical  structure 
are  specified.     The  moral  law  is  the  very  centre  of  the  whole 
system  of  moral  things  ;  and  accordingly  this  is  first  defined 
and  located.     The  ark  in  which  it  is  to  be  deposited  is  the 
first  article  provided  for  the  house  of  God. 

V.  17-22.  The  'mercy  seat.  The  ark  is  but  a  part  of  a 
greater  whole  ;  and  hence  there  is  rightly  no  break  here  in 
the  Hebrew  text.     The  mercy  seat  is  not  the  mere  covering 


EXODUS  XXV.  21,  22.  277 

of  the  ark,  wliicli  had  most  probably  a  lid  forming  a  consti- 
tuent part  of  itself  It  is  a  separate  piece,  composing,  with 
the  ark,  a  unity  not  so  much  in  outward  form,  as  in  inward 
design.  It  is  of  pure  gold,  to  denote  that  expiation  maintains 
the  unalterable  sanctity  of  the  moral  law ;  jis  everything 
must  be  absolutely  perfect  which  proceeds  from  or  comes  into 
contact  with  God.  Its  length  and  breadth  correspond  with 
those  of  the  at'k  which  contains  the  testimony,  as  the  propi- 
tiation must  satisfy  the  law  in  all  its  length  and  breadth. 
Two  cherabirii.  For  a  description  of  the  cherubim,  see  on 
Gen.  iii.  22-24.  The  cherubim  here  are  symbolic  figurations 
of  those  celestial  attendants  on  the  divine  majesty.  They  are 
to  be  of  gold,  as  representative  of  pure  and  peifect  beings.  Of 
beaten  ivork.  Tliey  are  to  be  formed  by  the  hammer  of  mal- 
leable gold.  V.  1 9.  Out  of  the  mercy  seat  shall  ye  make  the 
cherubim  on  its  two  ends.  It  appears  from  this  that  the 
cherubim  on  the  two  ends,  and  the  mercy  seat,  formed  one 
piece  of  workmanship,  either  by  being  beaten  out  of  one  mass, 
or  by  being  permanently  fastened  together  into  one  whole. 
The  former  seems  the  more  natural  sense  of  the  words,  v.  20. 
These  figures  have  wings,  spread  out  so  as  to  oveishadow  the 
mercy  seat;  and  their  faces  are  towards  one  another,  and 
towaids  the  mercy  seat.  These  cherubic  figures  had  two 
wings  and  only  one  face.  They  had  the  attitude  of  observant 
attention,  and  guarded  with  their  wings  the  place  of  the 
divine  manifestation,  as  became  the  intelligent  and  potential 
ministers  of  the  divine  presence.  These  figures,  then,  are  the 
symbolic  indication  of  the  Shekinah,  or  dwelling  of  God 
among  men  ;  an  abstiaction  which  is  often  applied  in  Rab- 
binical style  to  the  present  Deity. 

V.  21,  22.  The  mercy  seat  on  the  ark  from,  above.  The  mercy 
seat,  with  the  attentive  overshadowing  cherubs,  is  placed 
above  the  ark  which  contains  the  testimony.  This  arrange- 
ment is  significant  of  the  intercourse  of  God  with  fkllen  man, 
being  founded  on  the  basis  of  immutable  rectitude,  through  a 
propitiation  which  meets  all  the  demands  of  the  violated 
law.  And  I  will  meet  thee  there,  appoint  a  meeting 
and  meet  thee  by  appointment.  Hence  the  tabernacle  is 
called  the  tent  of  meeting  by  appointment.  And  S2^eak  with 
thee     .     .     .     .     of  all  that  I  command  thee  concerninj  the 


278  THE  TABLE. 

sons  of  Israel.  This  is  to  be  the  place  of  revelation.  A  defi- 
nite place  is  necessary  for  man,  especially  in  his  infantile  state, 
though  not  for  God,  who  is  omnipresent.  The  cherubim, 
however,  are  no  part  of  deity,  and  their  figures  no  semblance 
of  God.  They  merely  indicate  and  mark  the  boundaries  of 
the  place  where  God  manifests  His  presence. 

Hence  we  perceive,  that  the  ark,  mercy  seat  and  cherubim 
form  one  piece  of  emblematic  workmanship,  symbolising  not 
God,  but  the  atonement  ;  the  holiness  of  God  expressed  by 
the  law,  and  His  mercy  indicated  by  His  manifested  presence 
between  the  cherubim  being  mediated  or  brought  into  har- 
mony by  the  proi)itiation  figured  by  the  mercy  seat.  The 
great  fundamental  principle  of  reconciliation  is  mooted  here, 
to  be  afterwards  developed  and  illustrated  in  the  other  parts 
of  the  tabernacle.  From  this  centre  of  communication  with 
God  we  proceed  in  this  remarkable  specification  of  the  parts 
of  the  tabernacle  toward  the  circumference  where  the  commu- 
nicating people  assemble. 

V.  23-30.  The  table.  The  table  is  of  acacia,  two  cubits 
lonaf,  a  cubit  broad,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  hioh.  It  is  over- 
laid  with  pure  gold.  A  border  rises  a  handbreadth  from  the 
leaf  This  seems  to  be  an  addition  to  the  table,  and  not  the 
upper  part  of  the  trestle  on  which  the  leaf  rests.  The  edge 
of  this  table,  and  that  of  the  border  upon  it,  are  adorned  with 
crowns  or  wreaths  of  gold,  the  one  of  which,  therefore,  appears 
at  the  top,  and  the  other  at  the  base  of  the  border.  Four 
rings  are  attached  to  the  legs  over  OAjainst  the  harder,  and 
therefore  beneath  the  leaf,  as  keepers  for  the  staves  or  poles 
on  which  it  is  to  be  borne.  These  staves,  like  the  table,  are 
to  be  overlaid  with  gold. 

V.  29.  Its  dishes  were  bread-plates,  of  which  two  were 
placed  on  the  table,  containing  six  cakes  each  (Lev.  xxiv.  5,  6). 
These  cakes  cannot  have  been  ten  hand-breadths  by  five, 
according  to  Jewish  tradition,  as  one  dish  holding  such  a  cake 
would  have  occupied  the  whole  table,  which  was  only  twelve 
handbreadths  by  six.  Its  howls  were  smaller  vessels  for  hold- 
ing pure  frankincense  (Lev.  xxiv.  7),  which  were  placed  upon 
the  two  piles  of  cakes.  Its  flagons  were  large  cans  or 
decanters,  in  which  a  supply  of  wine  was  kept  for  pouring 
into  the  cups  or  smaller  vessels  used  for  making  libations  or 


EXODUS  XXV.  30.  279 

drink-offerings.  The  drink-ofiering  varied  from  tlic  fourth 
part  to  the  half  of  a  hiu  of  ^vine — that  is,  from  a  ])int  and  a 
half  to  three  pints,  according  to  the  value  of  the  victim 
(Num.  XV.  1-1:^).  The  dihhes,  flagons,  and  cups  must  have 
been  of  such  a  size  that  two  of  each  could  stand  conveniently 
on  the  table.  The  bread  trays  might  have  been  five  by  two 
and  a  half  or  three  handbreadths. 

V.  30.  SJieiu-breud.  The  shew-bread  was  to  consist  of 
twelve  cakes,  each  made  of  two  tenth  deals,  about  three  and 
a-half  quarts  of  fine  flour  (Lev.  xxiv.  5,  G).  This  is  called 
shew  bread,  or  bread  of  the  face,  because  it  was  on  the  table 
in  the  Lord's  house,  and  brought  God  and  man  face  to  face  on 
terms  of  reconciliation  and  communion.  The  table  is  the 
place  of  paternal  and  hospitable  entertainment.  The  twelve 
cakes  correspond  in  number  with  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
They  may  be  called  in  one  resi)ect  the  united  meat  offering 
of  all  the  people  ;  but  they  have  a  higher  significance  when 
they  are  actually  partaken  of  by  the  piiests  in  the  holy  place 
(Lev.  xxiv.  8,  0).  In  this  respect  they  represent  the  abound- 
ing and  all-sufticing  blessings  of  eternal  life,  dis[)ensed  by  God, 
as  he  manifests  himself,  and  dwells  among  his  people.  The 
priest  partaking  of  the  bread  represents  the  fan)ily  of  God 
bountifully  and  constantly  regaled  by  him  at  his  paternal 
board.  The  tabernacle  swells  to  its  true  significance  as  the 
type  of  the  heavenly  home  when  God  is  surrounded  by  his 
intelligent  creatures  enjoying,  each  according  to  the  measure 
of  its  capacity,  the  precious  sweets  of  a  susceptible  moi-al  ex- 
istence. This  home,  however,  is  here  presented  in  that  aspect 
which  alone  is  real  and  at  the  same  time  comfortable  to  the 
ransomed  sons  of  a  fallen  race,  the  salvation  of  whom,  through 
the  superabounding  grace  of  God,  gives  a  touching  character 
to,  and  sheds  a  mild  lustre  on  the  heaven  of  man.  It  has  its 
table  spread  with  heavenly  fare.  The  dishes  are  constantly 
replenished  with  bread,  and  the  flagons  and  cups  are  not  there 
without  beinfj  filled  with  wine,  which  was  the  drink  offerinfj 
accompanying  every  sacrifice.  Bread  and  wine  are  the  blood- 
less fe:ust  after  the  sacrifice,  and  are  emblematical  of  all  the 
blessings  of  those  who  are  pardoned  and  accepted  as  righteous 
through  the  atoning  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  propitiation  (see 
on  Gen.  xiv.  18-20). 


280  THE  CANDLESTICK. 

V,  31-40.  The  candlestick.  This  was  to  be  made  of  pure 
gold,  beaten  with  the  hammer.  Its  block,  or  pedestal  ;  its 
shaft,  or  stalk  ;  its  cups,  its  knops,  and  its  floivers,  ornaments 
on  its  branching  stalks,  shall  be  all  of  one  piece,  v.  32.  Six 
branches  come  off,  two  and  two  from  the  main  shaft,  at  three 
separate  points,  in  the  same  plane,  and  curved  in  the  form  of 
a  quadrant,  so  that  the  lamps,  resting  on  their  extremities,  are 
all  in  the  same  horizontal  line  with  that  on  the  central  stalk, 
V.  83.  Three  cups,  in  the  form  of  an  almond  nut,  were  on 
each  branch.  These  appear  to  have  been  surmounted  by  a 
knop  or  ball,  like  the  apple  of  the  pomegranate,  and  a  flower 
which  is  not  specifically  described,  v.  34-36.  And  in  the 
candlestick,  that  is,  the  main  shaft,  shall  be  four  cups,  knops, 
and  flowers.  Under  each  pair  of  branches,  and  under  the 
central  lamp,  a  cup,  knop,  and  flower :  and  all  these  beaten 
out  of  the  one  mass  of  gold.  v.  37.  The  seven  lamps  rest  on 
the  flowers  at  the  extremities  of  all  the  stems.  He  who  sets 
on  the  lamps  shall  place  the  candlestick  with  its  lamps  parallel 
to  the  south  side  of  the  tabernacle,  so  as  to  throw  its  whole 
radiance  on  the  opposite  side  where  the  table  is  situated,  v. 
38.  The  snuff'-tongs  and  snuff'-dishes  explain  themselves,  v. 
.39.  The  whole  is  to  be  made  of  a  talent,  about  120  pounds 
of  gold.  Jewish  tradition  fixes  the  height  of  the  candlestick 
at  three  cubits,  or  twice  the  height  of  the  table.  This  fits  it 
for  thi'owing  light  over  the  table,  and  is  therefore  more  pro- 
bable than  the  conjecture  of  Bahr,  that  its  height  was  a  cubit 
and  a  half,  or  equal  to  that  of  the  table.  The  same  tradition 
estimates  the  breadth  at  two  cubits,  the  same  as  that  of  the 
table.  The  candlestick  was  placed  on  the  south  side  of  the 
holy  place,  probably  at  the  middle,  opposite  the  table  of  shew 
bread. 

As  a  piece  of  furniture,  the  candlestick  evidently  serves  to 
give  light  to  those  who  are  in  the  tabernacle  or  home  of  God. 
It  is  an  emblem  of  spiritual  light.  The  seven-fold  light  is  the 
sanctifying  efiicacy  of  the  Spirit,  as  seven  is  the  number  of 
holiness.  The  three  pieces  of  furniture  already  described  are 
evidently  regarded  by  the  divine  revealer  as  forming  one  whole, 
since  at  the  close  of  their  specification  Moses  is  solemnly 
admonished  in  these  words  :  "  and  see  that  thou  make  them 
after  their  pattern,  which  thou  wast  shown  in  the  mount." 


EXODUS  XXVI.  281 

Tliis  ideal  unity  rests  in  tlic  sjilvation  of  the  sinner  tliat  re- 
turns to  God,  wliich  consists  of  i)eacc  with  God,  rej)resentcil 
by  the  mercy  seat ;  proj)itiation,  the  benefits  of  which  are  set 
forth  in  tlie  table,  with  its  bread  and  wine  ;  and  purification, 
which  is  s3'inbo]ized  by  the  candlestick.  The  nundier  three 
ai)pears  not  only  in  the  mercy  seat,  with  the  tables  of  the  law 
beneath  ami  the  cherul»im  of  the  divine  presence  above  ;  but 
also  in  the  ark,  the  table,  and  the  candlestick.  It  points  to  a 
trinity  of  persons  in  the  unity  of  the  godhead. 


CHAP.  XXVI. THE  TABERNACLE. 

1.  |3tr"P  dwelling,  abode,  habitation,  mansion.  This  con- 
sists of  the  inner  curtains  or  set  of  curtains,  the  tabernacle 
proper  or  booth  n3p^  and  the  tent  ^'^^  the  outer  set  of  curtains 
or  awning  of  goats'  hair.  The  two  additional  coverings  of 
rams'  skins  and  liadgers'  or  seals'  skins  are  designed  to  protect 
the  inner  fabric  from  the  weather. 

yy^  a  weaver  who  raises  figures  in  the  web.  0^<  a  plaiter 
or  wca>'er  in  general.  DpT  an  embroiderer  who  works  fi</ures 
with  the  needle. 

And  the  tabernaclo  thou  shalt  make  with  ten  curtains  of  fine  linen 
twined,  and  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson;  with  cherubim  of  cuiniing 
work  shalt  thou  make  them.  2  The  lenj^^th  of  one  curtain  shall  bo 
eight  and  twenty  cubits,  and  the  breadth  of  one  cm-tain  four  cubits :  all 
the  curtains  shall  have  one  measure.  3  Five  curtains  sliall  be  coupkd 
one  to  another ;  and  five  curtains  coupled  one  to  anotlier.  4  And 
thou  shalt  make  loops  of  blue  on  tlie  .selvedge  of  the  first  curtain  at 
the  end  of  the  coupling  :  and  so  shalt  thou  make  on  the  selvedge  of 
the  last  curtain  in  the  second  coupling.  5  Fifty  loops  shalt  thou 
make  in  the  first  curtain,  and  fifty  loops  shalt  thou  make  in  the  edge 
of  the  curtain  that  is  in  the  second  coupling  :  the  loops  matching  one 
another.  G  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  taclies  of  gold,  and  couple  the 
curtains  one  to  anothiir  with  the  taches ;  and  the  tabernacle  shall  be 
one. 

7  And  thou  shalt  make  curtains  of  goats'  hair  for  a  tent  over  tho 
tabernacle  ;  eleven  curtains  shalt  thou  make.  8  The  length  of  one 
curtain  sliall  be  thirty  cubits,   and  the   breadth  of  one  curtain  four 


282  THE  TABERNACLE. 

cubits  ;  the  eleven  curtains  shall  have  one  measure.  9  And  thou  shalt 
couple  five  curtains  by  themselves,  and  six  curtains  by  themselves ;  and 
thou  shalt  double  the  sixth  curtain  in  the  fore-front  of  the  tent.  10  And 
thou  shalt  make  fifty  Ioojjs  on  the  selvedge  of  the  one  curtain  that  is 
last  in  the  coupling,  and  fifty  loops  on  the  selvedge  of  the  curtain  in 
the  second  coupling.  11  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  taihes  of  brass, 
and  put  the  taches  into  the  loops,  and  join  the  tent,  and  it  shall  be  one. 
12  And  the  remnant  that  is  over  of  the  curtains  of  the  tent,  the  half 
curtain  that  is  over  shall  liang  over  the  back  of  the  tabernacle.  13  And 
the  cubit  on  this  side,  and  the  cubit  on  that  side,  that  are  over  in  the 
length  of  the  curtains  of  the  tent,  shall  hang  over  tlie  sides  of  the 
tabernacle  on  this  side  and  on  that  to  cover  it.  14  And  thou  shalt 
make  a  covering  for  the  tent  of  rams'  skins  dyed  red,  and  a  covering 
of  badgers'  skins  from  above.  ^  42. 

15  And  thou  shalt  make  boards  for  the  tabernacle  of  shittah  wood 
standing  up.  1  6  Ten  cubits  shall  be  the  length  of  a  board,  and  a  cubit 
and  a  half  the  breadth  of  one  board.  17  Two  tenons  shall  be  to  one 
board,  set  alike  one  to  another:  thus  shalt  thou  make  for  all  the  boards 
of  the  tabernacle.  18  And  thou  shalt  make  the  boards  for  the  taber- 
nacle, twenty  boards  on  the  south  side  southwards.  19  And  thou  shalt 
make  forty  sockets  of  silver  under  the  twenty  boards  ;  two  sockets 
under  one  board  for  its  two  tenons,  and  two  sockets  under  another 
board  for  its  two  tenons.  20  And  for  the  second  side  of  the  taber- 
nacle northwards  there  shall  be  twenty  boards.  21  And  their  forty 
sockets  of  silver ;  two  sockets  under  one  board,  and  two  sockets  under 
another  board.  22  And  for  the  rear  of  the  tabernacle  westward  thou 
shalt  make  six  boards.  23  And  two  boards  shalt  thou  make  for  the 
the  corners  of  the  tabernacle  in  the  rear.  24  And  they  shall  be  doubled 
beneath,  and  together  they  shall  be  complete  at  the  top  for  the  one 
ring :  thus  shall  it  be  for  tlie  two  of  them  ;  they  shall  be  for  the  two 
corners.  2o  And  they  shall  be  eight  boards,  and  their  sockets  of  sil- 
ver sixteen  sockets ;  two  sockets  under  one  board,  and  two  sockets 
under  another  board.  26  And  thou  shalt  make  bars  of  shittah  wood, 
five  for  the  boards  of  the  one  side  of  the  tabernacle.  27  And  five  bars 
for  the  boards  of  the  other  side  of  the  tabernacle,  and  five  bars  for  the 
boards  of  the  side  of  the  tabernacle  to  the  rear  westward.  28  And 
the  middle  bar  in  the  middle  of  the  boards  shall  reach  from  end  to  end. 
29  And  thou  shalt  overlay  the  boards  with  gold,  and  make  their  rings 
of  gold  to  be  places  for  the  bars ;  and  thou  shalt  overlay  the  bars  with 
gold.  30  And  thou  shalt  set  up  the  tabernacle  according  to  the  fashion 
thereof  which  thou  wast  shown  in  the  mount.  §  Gl. 

31  And  thou  shalt  make  a  vail  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson, 
and  fine  linen  twined,  of  cunning  work,  shalt  thou  make  it  with  cheru- 
bim.    32  And  thou  shalt  hang  it  upon  four  pillars  of  shittah,  over- 


EXODUS  XXVI.  283 

laifl  with  gold,  with  their  hooks  of  gohl,  upon  four  sockfts  of  silver. 
33  And  thou  slialt  hang  up  the  vail  under  tho  taches,  and  shalt  bring 
ill  thitlier  within  tho  vail  the  ark  of  tho  testimony  ;  and  the  vail  shall 
divido  unto  you  between  the  holy  jjlace  and  the  most  holy.  34  And 
thou  shalt  put  the  mercy-seat  upon  the  ark  of  the  testimony  in  the 
most  holy  i)laee.  35  And  thou  shalt  set  the  table  without  the  vail, 
and  the  candlestick  over  against  the  table  on  the  side  of  the  tabernaclo 
southward  ;  and  thou  shalt  put  the  table  on  the  side  of  the  north. 
3G  And  thou  shalt  make  a  covering  for  the  door  of  the  tent  of  blue, 
and  purple,  and  crimson,  and  fine  linen  twined,  wrought  with  needle- 
work. 37  Antl  thou  shalt  make  for  the  covering  live  pillars  of  shittah, 
and  thou  shalt  overlay  thcni  with  gold,  with  their  hooks  of  gold ;  and 
thou  shalt  cast  for  them  live  sockets  of  brass.  §  02. 

After  laying  down  the  plan  of  those  pieces  of  domestic 
furniture  which  shadow  forth  the  ultimate  form  and  loftiest 
staire  of  salvation  for  man,  we  descend  to  the  habitation  in 
■which  these  are  to  be  placed.  The  tabernacle  proper  ()ccu]nes 
the  middle  of  the  three  chapters  devoted  to  the  material 
things.  It  comes  after  the  things  contained  as  the  accessary 
after  the  principal. 

V.  1-7.  The  mansion.  The  word  tabernacle  applies  chiefly 
to  the  wooden  structure  ("^SD)  originally  covered  with  boughs 
and  leaves  of  trees.  The  mansion  is  a  more  genei-al  term 
referring  to  its  use  as  an  abode.  lb  has  been  replaced  in  our 
version  by  the  word  tabernacle  which  is  halhiwed  in  our  early 
associations  and  serves  the  pui-pose  of  a  free  rendering  suffi- 
ciently well.  The  mansion  or  abode  consists  internally  of  a 
pavilion  or  set  often  curtains  of  fine  linen  thread,  interwoven 
Avitii  threads  of  blue,  purple,  and  crimson.  The  spinning  of 
tlie  3^arn  was  generally  but  not  exclusively  the  work  of  women, 
while  the  weaving  was  more  fiequently  done  b}'  men.  These 
arts  were  well  known  among  the  Egyptians,  as  we  learn  from 
their  numerous  and  interesting  monuments.  Figures  of  cheru- 
bim were  raised  on  the  curtains.  These  were  the  stated 
attendants  on  the  Divine  Majesty,  and  were,  therefore,  appro- 
priate in  his  symbolic  abode,  v.  2.  The  ten  curtains  covered 
a  surface  of  28  by  40  cubits,  v.  3.  Ten  is  the  number  of 
completeness.  For  convenience  five  of  these  were  coupled  or 
stitched  together  into  one  piece,  and  the  remaining  five  into 
another,     v.  4.  For  the  purpose  of  connecting  these  two  halves 


284  THE  TENT. 

the  outer  edges  of  the  two  middle  curtains  are  provided  with 
loops.  V.  5.  Of  these  loops  there  were  50,  and  therefore  49 
intervals  in  28  cubits,  or  7  intervals  in  4  cubits.  The  distance 
between  the  loops  was  about  1  0  or  ]  2  inches,  v.  6.  These 
loops  were  conjoined  by  fifty  taches  of  gold,  and  the  ten  cur- 
tains were  thus  formed  into  one  Tnishhan  or  mansion.  This 
constitutes  the  inner  curtain,  which  corresponds  to  the  tapestry 
of  later  times,  or  to  the  plastering  and  papering  of  our  modern 
dwellings.  It  covered  the  tops,  the  sides,  and  the  western 
end  of  the  tabernacle.  The  cherubic  figures,  we  may  suppose, 
were  so  placed  on  the  cloth  that  they  were  upright  on  the  end. 
wall  of  the  tabernacle,  so  that  they  would  appear  upright 
above  and  on  the  sides  to  an  eye  placed  above  the  mercy- 
seat. 

V.  7-15.  The  tent  and  its  coverings  are  next  described. 
Curtains  of  goats'  hair  form  the  usual  tent  in  the  East.  The 
tent  ('''7^)  is  here  distinguished  from  the  mishkan.  The  one 
is  cast  or  spread  over  the  other  (xl..l9).  Eleven  curtains 
compose  the  tent.  v.  8.  They  are  of  the  same  breadth  as  the 
former  curtains,  but  longer  by  two  cubits,  v.  9.  One  part  is 
formed  by  sewing  five  curtains,  the  other  by  sewing  six  cur- 
tains together.  Half  the  breadth  of  the  sixth  curtain  in  this 
part  of  the  tent  is  to  be  doubled,  that  is,  to  hang  over  the 
front  of  the  tabernacle.  In  this  way  the  seam  of  the  upper 
curtains  would  always  be  over  the  middle  of  the  loM^er  curtains, 
V.  10,  11.  The  two  parts  are  connected  in  the  same  way  as 
before,  v.  12.  The  tent  covers  the  top,  sides,  and  end  of  the 
tabernacle,  and  as  there  is  an  additional  lentrth  of  four  cubits, 
the  one  half  of  it  hangs  over  in  front  and  the  other  remains  over 
in  the  rear.  v.  13.  The  single  curtain  is  longer  by  two  cubits 
than  that  of  the  mishkan,  and  therefore  allows  a  cubit  to  hang 
over  on  each  side.  The  difference  is  ne-'dful,  because  the  one 
curtain  is  witliin  and  the  other  without  the  boards  of  the 
tabernacle,  v.  1  4.  The  coverings  of  red  rams'  skins  and  of 
badgers'  skins  afford  protection  from  the  rain. 

V.  15-80.  The  wooden  framework  or  tabernacle  proper. 
After  the  pliant  materials  we  come  to  the  firm  part  of  the 
structure.  The  shittah,  shant  or  acacia  tree,  grows  to  a  con- 
siderable height.  The  use  of  the  plural  number,  however, 
admits  of  one  of  these  boards  being  composed  of  more  than  one 


EXODUS  XXVI.  lG-30.  285 

trunk.  V.  1  G.  Eacli  board  is  ten  cubits  long  and  a  cubit  and 
a  half  broad,  that  is,  at  least  15  leet  by  2|.  As  the  taber- 
nacle was  ten  cubits  wide  and  six  boards,  or  a  bieadth  of  nine 
cubits,  seem  to  coni])lete  the  end  (v.  'I'l),  it  is  probable  that 
the  boards  were  half  a  cubit  thick  at  the  bottom.  It  i.s  most 
likely,  however,  that,  for  the  sake  of  liglitness,  they  tapered 
on  the  outside  to  a  thickness  at  the  top  of  an  eighth  of  a 
cubit.  In  this  way  the  inside  would  be  vertical,  the  outside 
slightly  sloping,  the  boards  would  have  a  more  stable  posioion 
and  be  sufficiently  strong,  and  some  difficulties  in  the  con- 
ception of  the  structure  would  be  removed,  v.  1 7.  The  tenons 
seem  to  form  part  of  the  length  or  height  of  the  boards.  They 
are  "set  alike"  or  symmetrically  situated  on  the  ends  of  the 
boards.  If  they  were  half  a  cubit  deep,  the  curtains  of  the 
niishkan,  being  28  cubits  long,  would  exactly  cover  the  top  of 
9  cubits,  and  the  sides  being  9.1  cubits  each  above  the  socket 
or  mortise,  v,  18.  Twenty  boards,  each  a  cubit  and  a  half 
broad,  will  form  a  side  wall  thirty  cubits  long.  v.  1  9.  The 
forty  sockets  of  silver  either  rested  on  the  ground  or  were 
attached  to  a  solid  sleeper  of  wood  laid  on  the  ground.  The 
latter  method  would  give  the  greater  stability  to  the  structure. 
V.  20,  21.  The  north  side  corresponds  to  the  south,  v.  22-25. 
The  si.v  boards  seem  to  close  in  the  west  end,  which  they  will 
do  if  the  side  boards  be  half  a  cubit  thick  at  bottom  and  the 
measurement  be  from  outside  to  outside.  The  corner  boards 
are  different  from  the  others.  If  the  end  wall  be  placed  at 
right  angles  to  the  side  wall  so  that  their  vertical  boundary 
lines  coincide,  their  ends  will  leave  aright  angle  to  be  occupied 
by  the  corner  boards.  Let  the  base  of  the  corner  board  be  a 
square  cubit,  wanting  a  square  half-cubit  on  the  outer  corner, 
and  let  it  taper  on  all  its  outer  sides  to  a  top  that  shall  be 
a  square  eighth  of  a  cubit.  It  is  obvious  that  this  board  will 
be  "doubled"  or  twinned  beneath,  as  it  will  have  two  project- 
ing parts  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  Its  base  will  be  half 
a  cubit  thick,  and  so  correspond  with  the  thickness  of  the 
others.  Its  breadth  will  be  a  cubit  every  way,  and  so  it  will 
fill  up  the  void  square  at  the  corner,  and  project  half  a  cubit 
in  the  direction  of  the  side  and  the  end.  Being  reduced  at 
the  top  of  the  mishkan  to  a  square  of  an  eighth  of  a  cubit,  it 
will  exactly  fiU  the  square  at  the  top  and  so  be  "complete." 


286  THE  TABERNACLE. 

One  ring  or  clamp  of  metal  will  serve  to  make  it  fast  to  the 
adjacent  boards  of  the  sides  and  end.  As  its  breadth,  omit- 
ting the  part  that  is  counted  a  second  time,  is  a  cubit  and  a 
half,  it  has  two  tenons  like  the  other  boards.  This  seems  to 
be  an  intelligible  explanation  of  this  somewhat  obscure  de- 
scription. 

V.  26-28.  As  the  middle  bar  in  the  middle  of  the  boards 
reached  from  end  to  end,  it  is  probable  that  the  other  bars 
were  half  its  length,  and  hence  that  three  rows  of  rings  or 
keepers  ran  along  the  sides,  one  in  the  middle  for  the  full 
length  bars,  and  the  other  two  between  this  and  the  extremi- 
ties. As  the  lower  ends  of  the  boards  were  fastened  by  the 
sockets,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  upper  ends  were  in  some 
way  secured,  v.  29.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  bars 
were  on  the  outside,  and  therefore  the  boards  were  overlaid 
on  the  outside  as  well  as  the  inside  with  gold,  as  Josephus 
asserts.  But  it  is  possible  tnat  the  bars  were  on  the  inside, 
and  the  boards  only  overlaid  with  gold  on  the  inner  side. 
This  would  give  greater  lightness  to  the  boards,  and  would 
afford  the  greater  reason  for  making  the  keepers  of  gold  and 
overlaying  the  bars.  But  the  point  in  question  is  of  little 
importance,  v.  30.  A  visible  form  of  the  tabernacle  was 
presented  to  the  mind  of  Moses  on  the  mount,  according  to 
which  it  was  to  be  constructed. 

V.  31-37.  The  vails  and  their  pillars  are  now  described. 
The  first  vail  was  to  be  of  the  same  material,  colour,  and 
pattern  as  the  interior  curtains  of  the  mansion,  v.  32.  The 
pillars  would  probably  be  half  a  cubit  in  diameter  at  the  base. 
If  one  were  placed  in  contact  with  each  wall,  the  three  equal 
spaces  would  measure  two  and  a  third  cubits,  or  about  three 
and  a  half  feet.  v.  33.  The  vail  is  to  be  suspended  under  the 
taches  of  gold  connecting  the  two  halves  of  the  internal  cover- 
ing. Hence  it  separates  the  tabernacle  into  two  parts ;  the 
most  holy  place  of  ten  cubits,  and  the  holy  place  of  twenty. 
If  the  pillars  were  outside  the  vail,  the  interior  of  the  most 
holy  place  would  be  curtained  on  evevy  side.  v.  34,  35.  The 
tabernacle  being  now  divided  into  its  compartments,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  articles  of  furniture  already  made  is  determined.  The 
ark  of  the  testimony  is  to  stand  at  the  middle  of  the  M'estern 
wall  in  the  most  holy  place.      It  is  probable  that  the  table 


EXODUS  XXVII.  287 

occupied  the  middle  of  the  nortli  side,  and  tlie  candlestick 
that  of  the  south  side.  We  liave  already  seen  that  tiie.ie  three 
articles  form  a  unity  of  symbolic  meaning  in  themselves  apart 
from  the  articles  yet  to  be  described  (xxv.  40). 

V.  3G,  37.  The  covering  or  outer  vail  is  of  the  same  mate- 
rial and  colours  as  the  inner,  but  it  differs  in  other  respects. 
The  figuration  is  wrought  not  by  the  loom,  but  by  the  needle; 
and  the  cherubim  are  not  mentioned.  It  is  possible,  however, 
that  they  were  raised  on  the  inner,  but  not  on  the  outer  side 
of  the  hanging;  as  the  latter  was  exposed  to  rain,  and  out- 
side of  the  tabernacle  or  presence-hall  of  God.  As  the  pillars 
had  sockets  of  a  less  costly  metal,  it  is  probable  that  they  were 
regarded  as  external  to  the  tabernacle,  and  were,  therefore, 
outside  the  hanging.  If  the  two  extreme  pillars  stood  at  the 
ends  of  the  sides,  the  other  three  divided  the  east  end  of  the 
tabernacle  into  four  openings  of  fifteen -eighths  of  a  cubit,  or 
about  thirty-four  inches  each.  These  pilhirs  were  adorned 
■svith  chapiters,  and  provided  with  connecting  poles  or  rods  on 
which  the  covering  was  supported  by  hooks  (xxxvi.  38).  We 
are  not  informed  whether  the  capitals  were  surmounted  by  a 
beam  or  architrave,  giving  compactness  to  the  whole  front  of 
the  tabernacle. 


CHAP.  XXVII. THE  ALTAR  AND  THE  COURT. 

And  thou  shalt  make  the  altar  of  shittah  wood ;  five  cubits  long  and 
five  cubits  broad,  square  shall  the  altar  be  ;  and  the  height  thoroof 
shall  be  three  cubits.  2  And  thou  shalt  make  the  horns  of  it  upon 
the  four  corners  thereof:  its  horns  shall  be  of  the  same;  and  thou  shalt 
overlay  it  with  brass.  3  And  tliou  shalt  make  its  bo.xcs  to  remove  its 
ashes,  and  its  shovels,  and  its  basins,  and  its  flesli-hooks,  and  its  fire- 
pans :  all  its  ves.sels  thou  shalt  make  of  brass.  4  And  thou  shalt 
make  for  it  a  grate,  a  network  of  brass ;  and  thou  shalt  make  on  the 
net  four  brazen  rings  on  its  four  corners.  5  And  thou  shalt  put  it 
under  the  border  of  the  altar  beneath,  and  the  net  shall  be  unto  tlie 
half  of  the  altar.  G  And  thou  shalt  make  staves  for  the  altar,  staves 
of  shittah  wood,  and  overlay  them  with  brass.  7  And  its  staves  shall 
be  put  into  the  rings,  and  the  staves  shall  be  upon  the  two  sides  of  the 
altar  to  bear  it.  Hollow  of  boards  shalt  thou  make  it ;  as  it  was 
shown  thee  in  the  mount  so  shall  they  make  it.  §  03. 


288  THE  ALTAR. 

9  And  thou  sTialt  make  the  court  of  the  tabernacle  :  for  the  south 
side  southward  shall  be  hangings  for  the  court  of  twined  fine  linen,  a 
hundred  cubits  long  for  the  one  side.  10  And  its  pillars  twenty,  and 
their  sockets  twenty  of  brass  :  the  hooks  of  the  pillars  and  their  rods 
of  silver.  11  And  likewise  for  the  north  side  in  length  shall  be  hang- 
ings a  hundred  cubits  long  :  and  its  pillars  twenty,  and  their  sockets 
twenty  of  brass  ;  the  hooks  of  the  pillars  and  their  rods  of  silver. 
12  And  for  the  breadth  of  the  court  on  the  west  side  shall  be  hangings 
of  fifty  cubits.  13  And  the  breadtli  of  the  court  on  the  east  side  east- 
ward shall  be  fifty  cubits.  14  Fifteen  cubits  sliall  be  the  hangings  for 
the  one  wing  :  their  pillars  three  and  their  sockets  three.  15  And  for 
the  other  wing  the  hangings  shall  be  fifteen  cubits  :  their  pillars  three 
and  their  sockets  three.  16  And  for  the  gate  of  the  court  shall  be  a 
covering  of  twenty  cubits  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson,  and  twined 
fine  linen,  wrought  with  the  needle  :  and  their  pillars  four  and  their 
sockets  four.  17  All  the  pillars  of  the  court  round  about  shall  be 
joined  with  rods  of  silver  :  their  hooks  shall  be  of  silver  and  their 
sockets  of  brass.  18  The  length  of  the  court  shall  be  a  hundi'ed  cubits, 
and  the  breadth  fifty  everywhere  :  and  the  height  five  cubits  of  twined 
fine  linen,  and  their  sockets  of  brass.  19  All  the  vessels  of  the  taber- 
nacle in  all  the  service  thereof,  and  all  its  pins  and  the  pins  of  the 
court  shall  be  of  brass.  20  §  §  §  64. 

20  And  thou  shalt  command  the  children  of  Israel,  and  they  shall 
bring  thee  pure  olive  oil  beaten  for  the  light  to  set  up  a  continual 
lamp.  21  In  the  tent  of  meeting  without  the  vail,  which  is  before  the 
testimony,  Aaron  and  his  sons,  shall  order  it  from  evening  to  morning 
before  the  Lord  :  a  statute  for  over  to  their  generations  from  the  sons 
of  Israel  §  65. 


We  now  pass  into  the  court  of  the  tabernacle.  The  chief 
object  here  is  the  great  altar.  In  the  holy  of  holies  we  have 
the  ark  of  testimony,  an  adumbration  of  mercy  and  truth  met 
together.  In  the  holy  place  we  find  the  table  and  the  candle- 
stick, the  emblems  of  justification  and  sanctification.  In  the 
court  we  come  upon  the  altar,  the  symbol  of  propitiation 
standing  alone  in  all  its  solemn  impressiveness.  This  is  the 
order  of  things  in  the  histoiy  of  redemption.  The  purpose 
of  mercy  is  formed  in  the  divine  breast.  The  blessings  of 
spiritual  renovation  and  heavenly  inheritance  forthwith  begin 
to  be  dispensed.  The  atonement,  through  which  these  legally 
come,  is  made  in  the  fulness  of  time.    Hence  we  perceive  that 


EXODUS  XXVII.  1-8.  289 

the   plan   of  the    tahernacle  first   leads   us  down   hy  sensible 
stages  from  God  to  man. 

V.  1-8.  The  altar.  All  former  appearances  of  the  altar  were 
occasional :  now  at  lengtli  it  comes  before  us  as  a  permanent  in- 
stitution. Its  framework  is  composed  of  the  shaut,  the  only 
timber  employed  about  the  tabernacle.  Its  liorizontal  surface 
is  a  square  of  five  cubits,  or  seven  and  a  half  feet,  and  its 
height  three  cubits,  or  four  and  a  half  feet.  v.  2.  Its  horns 
shall  be  of  the  same.  We  conceive  that  the  angle  posts  of  this 
I)rimitive  wilderness  altar  were  three  cubits  high.  The  horns 
were  the  parts  of  these  posts  that  projected  above  the  upper 
surface  of  the  altar.  If  they  were  half  a  cubit  in  height,  the 
table  or  upper  plane  of  the  altar  would  be  three  and  three 
quarters  feet  from  the  ground.  At  this  height  the  ])riest  could 
perform  all  his  functions  with  convenience  standing  on  the 
ground.  The  wooden  frame  is  wholly  overlaid  with  plates  of 
brass,  which  would  preserve  it  from  the  weather  and  the  fire, 
v.  3.  The  boxes  for  removing  the  ashes,  the  shovels  for  trans- 
ferring them  to  the  boxes,  the  basins  for  sprinkling  or  pour- 
ing the  blood,  the  flesh  hooks,  and  the  fire-pans,  were  to  be 
made  of  brass,  v.  4,  5.  The  brazen  grate  of  net-work  has 
been  variously  interpreted.  Many,  including  Kurtz  and  Keil, 
understand  by  the  border  (23^3)  a  ledge  half  a  cubit  or  a  cubit 
broad  going  round  the  altar  at  half  its  height,  on  which  the 
priest  might  stand  when  officiating,  and  by  the  grate  a  nct- 
Avork  descending  from  its  outer  edge  to  the  groimd.  But  it  is 
obvious  that  the  whole  structure,  being  thus  eight  or  nine  feet 
square,  with  a  large  quantity  of  metal,  would  be  too  heavy 
and  cumbrous  to  be  portable.  Moreover,  the  rings  for  the 
bearing  poles,  being  attached  to  the  grate,  would  be  at  the 
extreme  edges  of  this  square,  and  therefore  placed  in  the  most 
inconvenient  situation  either  for  carrying  or  preventing  a 
strain  on  the  article  to  be  carried.  Kalisch  supposes  the  bor- 
der to  be  at  the  top  of  the  altar,  and  the  grate  to  reach  down 
to  the  half  height  of  the  altar.  But  if  the  grate  "  reached 
down  from  the  border  to  the  middle  of  the  altar,"  we  do  not 
see  how  it  could  "  receive  whatever  might  fall  from  the  altar," 
or  what  other  purpose  it  could  serve.  And  it  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  merely  an  ornament.  By  "  the  half  of  the  altar" 
v,e  understand  not  half  its  height,  but  half  its  horizontal  area. 

T 


290  THE  COURT. 

The  grate  would  in  that  case  be  a  square  of  nearly  five  and  a 
quarter  feet  in  the  middle  of  the  area,  surrounded  by  a  margin 
two  and  a  quarter  feet  broad.  This  margin,  covered  at  least 
with  a  thick  layer  of  brass,  would  be  the  border  (2^??)  beneath 
the  inner  edge  of  which  the  brazen  grate  would  be  fixed  to 
contain  the  fire  beneath  the  sacrifice.  The  fine  ashes  would 
fall  through  the  meshes  of  the  net-work  on  the  ground,  to  be 
removed  when  convenient.  This  explanation  is  so  far  favoured 
by  the  Sept.  that  both  the  border  and  the  grate  are  rendered 
by  the  scr/^d^a,  a  hearth.  It  is  to  the  same  extent  supported 
by  Josephus  (Ant.  III.  vii.  8).  The  grate  also  thus  comes 
out  to  be  an  essential  part  of  the  altar,  and  a  compactness  is 
given  to  the  whole  structure.  The  four  rings  seem  to  be  the 
keepers  for  the  staves  by  which  the  altar  was  to  be  carried. 
V.  6,  7.  The  staves  are  to  be  put  into  the  rings,  and  are  said 
to  be  on  the  two  sides  of  the  altar.  The  word  for  side  here 
(py^,)  means  not  the  mere  surface,  but  the  lateral  portion  of  a 
thing,  and  therefore  the  staves  passing  through  rings  attached 
to  the  outer  edges  of  the  grate  may  be  fairly  said  to'be  on  the 
sides  of  the  altar.  An  article  so  weighty  would  have  to  he 
borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  or  eight  men.  v.  8.  The  board- 
ing may  not  liave  extended  beyond  two  cubits,  leaving  half  a 
cubit  of  the  corner  posts  above  for  horns,  and  half  a  cubit  be- 
neath for  feet.  This  simple  structure  would  afibrd  the  lightest, 
and  therefore  fittest  form  for  a  portable  altar  of  the  given 
dimensions.     The  grate  may  have  been  a  cubit  deep. 

V.  9-19.  The  court.  The  altar  is  the  principal  thing, 
secondary  to  which  is  the  court  in  which  it  stands,  v.  9-12, 
The  court  is  a  hundred  cubits  long  from  east  to  west  and  fifty 
cubits  broad.  The  hanging  seems  to  have  been  a  web  of  fine 
linen  five  cubits  broad.  This  was  suspended  on  silver  rods 
supported  by  twenty  pillars  on  each  side  and  ten  on  the  west 
end.  V.  13-16.  On  the  east  side  are  two  wings  or  shoulders 
/Pins^  of  fifteen  cubits,  and  a  gate  of  twenty.  The  pillars  are 
reckoned  by  Philo  at  56,  the  corner  ones  being  twice  counted. 
But  in  this  way  the  distance  between  the  pillars  at  the  side 
would  be  different  from  that  between  those  at  the  end,  and 
the  account  of  the  east  end  would  be  unintelligible  without 
counting  the  extreme  pillars  of  the  gate  twice  and  so  having 


EXODUS  XXVI r.  9-19.  291 

eight  pillars  instead  of  ten,  and  two  other  nneqiial  intervals. 
All  is  plain,  however,  when  we  accept  the  sixty  pillars.      Be- 
irinninix  at  the  east  end  of  the  north  side  we  attach  the  hanrr. 
ing  to  the  corner  pillar  but  do  not  count  it.     After  that  wo 
count  twenty  pillars  for  the  twenty  equal  lengths  of  five  cubits 
in  the  one  hundred.      Beginning  again   at  the  north  end  of 
the  west  side,   we  do  not  count  the  corner  one,  as  it  was 
counted  already,  and  ten  equal  lengths  bring  us  to  the  fifty 
cubits  of  that  end  with  its  ten  pillars.     So  we  proceed  with 
the   south  side.      And   the  south   shoulder  has   three   pillars 
beside  the  corner  one  counted   before.       The  gate  has  four 
beside  the  extreme  one  south  counted  before.      And  the  noitli 
shoulder  hcis  three  jtillars  including  the  corner  one  not  counted 
at  first.      V.  1  7.   The  pillars  are  provided  with  hooks  on  which 
the  rods  that  connect  them  and  support  the  enclosing  canvas 
rest.     The  hooks  and  rods  are  of  silver.      We  are  informed 
also  that  the  pillars  have  chapiters  overlaid  with  silver  (xxviii. 
1 7.)     The  sockets  in  which  they  are   inserted  are  of  brass. 
The  pillars  themselves  are  usually  supposed  to  be  of  wood, 
though  the  material  is  not  mentioned  in  the  text.     The  over- 
laying of  the  chapiters  with  silver  favours  this  view.     v.  1  9. 
All  the  vessels  of  the  tabernacle,  with  the  exceptions  already 
made,  were  to  be  of  brass.     The  pins  were  for  fastening  the 
tent  and  its  coverings,  and  probably  the  pillars  of  the  courts. 
The  place  of  the  tabernacle  we  hold  to  be,  not  exactly  in 
the  middle  of  the  court,  as  Josephus  may  be  construed  to  mean, 
but  as  Philo  explains,  twenty  cubits  fiom  the  west,  north,  and 
south  sides  of  the  court.      For  in  this  way  a  perfect  square  of 
fifty  cubits  is  left  in  front  to  be  occupied  by  the  great  altar 
and  the  laver  with  the  company  of  officials  and  worshippers, 
as  we  shall  see  hereafter. 

The  altar  is  representative  of  the  earth  on  which  sin  has 
been  committed  and  propitiation  has  to  be  made.  Its  four 
sides  also  correspond  with  the  four  quarters  of  the  world. 
Its  elevation  intimates  the  lifting  up  of  the  sacrifice  to  the 
holy  governor  by  whom  it  must  be  exacted.  The  horns  are 
emblems  of  power  .and  denote  the  virtue  of  sacrifice  in  pro- 
curing remission  of  sin  and  all  its  concomitant  blessings. 
The  breadth  of  the  altar  is  five  cubits,  that  of  the  court  is  five 
tens   of  cubits,  the  half  of  its  length,  and  the  height  of  the 


292  THE  OIL  FOR  THE  LAMPS. 

pillars  of  the  court  is  five  cubits.  These  are  contrasted  with 
ten,  three  and  one,  the  nunrierical  factors  in  the  tabernacle. 
They  adumbrate  in  their  own  way  the  pre-eminence  of  the 
tabernacle,  which  is  the  type  of  heaven  (Heb.  ix.  24),  over  the 
court  which  is  the  figurative  semblance  of  the  earth.  And  the 
manifold  connections  between  them,  as  well  as  the  presence  of 
the  altar  in  the  court,  indicate  the  design  that  the  earth 
should  eventually  become  a  constituent  part  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  We  have  seen  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant  forms 
a  triad  in  itself,  that  the  ark,  the  candlestick,  and  the  table 
form  another  ;  and  now  we  notice  that  the  most  holy,  the 
holy  place,  and  the  court  form  a  tlnrd. 

V.  20,    21.    The   oil   for   the    lamps.      Olive   oil.     This    is 
uniformly  employed  for  lights  in  the  sanctuary  and  for  anoint- 
ing.     It  is  a  vegetable  oil  and  fit  for  the  purpose  of  signifying 
illumination    and  sanctification.      The  fat   of  beasts  was  em- 
ployed to  represent  propitiation.     Pure,  taken  from  the  olive 
alone.     Beaten,  obtained  from  olives,  not  pressed  in  a  press, 
but  pounded  in  a  mortar.     The  latter  is  said  to  be  a  sweeter 
finer  oil  and  of  a  whiter  colour.      To  set  up  a  continual  lamiJ, 
a   lamp  that  shall   burn  without  interruption,  that  is,  every 
night,  in  the  sanctuary.      Some  suppose,  however,  that  at  least 
one  of  the  seven  lamps  on  the  candlestick  was  allowed  to 
bui-n  all  day,  so  that  a  perpetual  flame  was  kept  up  in  the 
tabernacle.      In  the  tent   of  inieeting  or  appointment.     The 
tabernacle  is  here  called  the   tent,  because  it  is  viewed  from 
the  exterior,  where  it  was  a  tent,  not  from  the  interior  where 
it  was  a  mishkan   or  pavilion.      It  is  designated  the  tent  of 
meeting,  because  at  its  door  or  at  the  gate  of  its  court  was  the 
place  for  the  appointed  times  of  the  Lord's  meeting  with  his 
j)eop]e.     The  gate   in  the  east  was  the   customary  place  of 
meeting  and  transacting  business  between  prince  and  people. 
Hence  to  this  day  we  have  the  Ottoman  Porte.      Without  the 
vail  in  the  holy  place  stood  the  candlestick.     Aaron  and  his 
sons  were  to  set  the  lamps  on  the  candlestick  and  light  them 
in  the  evening,  and  in  the  morning  clean  them  and  supply 
them  with  fresh  oil  (xxx.  7,  8  ;  Lev.  xxiii.  3,  4).    A  statute 
for  ever,  an  institution  to  be   observed  as  long  as  the  whole 
ceremonial  economy  should  remain  in  force.     From  the  sons 
of  Israel,  to  be  supplied  by  them  for  this  sacred  use. 


EXODUS  xxviir.  293 

A  new  synagogue  lesson  begins  with  tliese  two  verses, 
whereby  their  connexion  with  that  which  follows  is  signalised. 
They  form  indeed  a  transition  from  the  tabernacle  to  the 
])riest  of  the  tiibernacle.  The  oil  for  the  lamps  of  the  candle- 
stick is  naturally  mentioned  here  that  we  may  not  leave  the 
tiibernacle  without  light.  The  light  indeed  is  emblematic  of 
the  light  of  Him  who  is  Light,  and  who  enlightens  his  own 
transcendent  dwelling  place  (Rev.  xxi.  23).  It  serves  also  to 
indicate  the  need  of  a  minister  of  the  tabernacle  and  so  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  office  and  array  of  the  high  priest. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.    THE  ATTIRE  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 

4.  I^n  hreast-'piece.  r.  he  fair  or  graceful.  It  is  perhaps 
connected  with  |^*n  the  breast,    r.  he  strong,  firm. 

liDS  epliod,  a  jacket  or  shoulder  piece,  r.  draw  on,  over, 
or  round. 

TV^  rohe,  a  second  tunic,  without  sleeves,  worn  under  the 
ephod,  reaching  to  the  knees,    r.  cover  or  extend. 

nD:)fo  onitrc,  tiara,    r.  wind. 

IDJ3K  girdle,     r.  hind. 

17.  Djx  aupbiov,  a  stone  of  a  red  colour,  the  sardiiis  or 
carnelian. 

n^ps  ro'rd'(iov,  the  topaz  of  Kush  (Job  xxvii.  10).  It  is 
generally  of  a  yellow  colour  ;  which  agrees  with  von  Bohlen's 
derivation  from  the  Sanscrit  pz7a  yellow. 

^\??^  a/j^dpaydog.     r.  fi.ash.     It  is  akin  to  the  emerald. 

1 8.  ^Qi  civdpa^,  carbuncle  or  ruby. 

i"2p  cu-pupoi;,  sapphire,    r.  scrape,  polish. 
a7T\1  'las-iTig.     r.  heat,  stHke.     Some  make  this  the  emerald- 
It  may  be  the  diamond,  a.s  others  take  it. 

1 9.  DK?  }jy{jpiov,  a  kind  of  hyacinth. 

iat?  a^uTTig,  agate,  a  compound  of  quartz,  chalcedony,  car- 
nelian, jasper,  and  other  ingredients. 

nopnx  a/j.sdvaro;.  T.  dream.  It  was  supposed  to  have  the 
power  of  causing  dreams. 


294  THE  ATTIRE  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 

20.  tJ'''^'nn  Yj>\)6o\i&(j<;.     A  gem  of  Tarsbisli  or  Tartessus  in 

Spain. 

Dnb*  oi-ug,  as  the  Sept.  elsewhere  gives.     It  is  of  a  pale  colour 

like  the  human  nail. 

nsc';^  7affT/g.      r.  shine,  he   smooth.      A  stone    of  a   bright 

green  colour. 

22.  n^723  a  bordering  or  connecting,  r.  border.  Others 
render  it  a  twisting  or  wreathing. 

80.  D''T'^  lights.     D''Sn  perfections,  rights. 

And  thou  bring  near  for  thee  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  his  sons  with 
him,  from  among  the  sons  of  Israel,  to  act  as  priests  unto  me  ;  Aaron, 
Nadah  and  Abihu,  Eleazar  and  Ithamar,  Aaron's  sons.  2  And  thou 
shalt  make  holy  garments  for  Aaron  thy  brother  for  glory  and  for 
beauty.  3  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  all  the  wise  of  heart,  whom  I  have 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  wisdom  ;  and  they  shall  make  Aaron's  garments 
to  consecrate  him  to  act  as  priest  unto  me.  4  And  these  are  the  gar- 
ments which  they  shall  make  ;  a  breastplate,  and  an  ephod,  and  a  robe, 
and  a  chequered  coat,  a  mitre  and  a  girdle  :  and  they  shall  make  holy 
garments  for  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  for  his  sons  to  act  as  priests  unto 
me.  5  And  they  shall  take  gold,  and  blue,  and  purple  and  crimson, 
and  fine  linen.  ^  43. 

6  And  they  shall  make  the  ephod  of  gold,  blue  and  purple,  crimson 
and  twined  fine  linen,  with  cunning  work.  7  Tt  shall  have  two 
shoulder  straps  joining  it ;  at  the  two  edges  thereof  shall  it  be  joined. 
8  And  the  belt  for  fastening  it,  which  is  upon  it,  according  to  the 
work  thereof,  shall  be  of  the  same  ;  of  gold,  of  blue  and  purple  and 
crimson  and  twined  fine  linen.  9  And  thou  shalt  take  two  onyx 
stones,  and  grave  on  them  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel.  10  Six  of 
their  names  on  the  one  stone,  and  the  names  of  the  other  six  on  the 
second  stone,  according  to  their  birth.  1 1  With  the  work  of  an  en- 
graver in  stone,  the  engravings  of  a  signet,  shalt  thou  grave  the  two 
stones  with  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel :  inclosed  in  ouches  of  gold 
shalt  thou  make  them.  12  And  thou  shalt  put  the  two  stones  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  ephod,  to  be  stones  of  memorial  for  the  sons  of 
Israel :  and  Aaron  shall  bear  their  names  before  the  Lord  upon  his 
two  shoulders  for  a  memorial.  §  66. 

13  And  thou  shalt  make  ouches  of  gold.  14  And  two  chains  of 
pure  gold,  attaching  shalt  thou  make  them  of  wreathen  work,  and  thou 
shalt  fasten  the  wreathen  chains  on  the  ouches.  §  67. 

15  And  thou  shalt  make  the  breastplate  of  judgment  with  cunning 


EXODUS  XXVIII.  295 

■work  ;  after  the  work  of  the  cphod  shalt  thou  mako  it  :  of  golil,  of 
bhie,  ami  purple,  and  crimson,  and  twined  fine  linen,  shalt  thfiu  make 
it.  16  It  shall  be  square,  doubled  :  a  span  shall  be  its  length,  and  a 
6j)an  shall  be  its  breadth.  17  And  thou  shalt  set  in  it  settings  of 
stone,  four  rows  of  stones  ;  a  row  of  sardius,  toj)az,  and  emerald  shall 
l)e  the  hrst  row.  18  And  the  second  row  a  carbuncle,  a  sapphire,  and 
a  diamond.  19  And  the  third  row,  a  ligure,  an  agate,  and  an  amethyst. 
20  And  the  fourth  row  a  chrysolite,  and  an  onyx,  and  a  jasper  ;  they 
shall  be  mounted  with  gold  in  their  settings.  21  And  the  stones  shall 
be  with  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  twelve,  jujcording  to  their 
names ;  with  the  engravings  of  a  signet  each  with  its  name  shall  they 
be  for  the  twelve  tribes.  22  And  thou  shalt  make  upon  the  breast- 
plate attaching  chains  of  wreathen  work,  of  pure  gold.  23  And  thou 
shalt  make  upon  the  breastplate  two  rings  of  gold,  and  put  the  two 
rings  on  the  two  ends  of  the  breastplate.  2-1  And  thou  shalt  put  the 
two  cords  of  gold  in  the  two  rings  on  the  ends  of  the  breastplate.  25 
And  the  other  two  ends  of  the  two  cords  thou  shalt  fasten  on  the  two 
ouches,  and  put  them  on  the  shoulders  of  the  cphod,  in  front  of  it.  26 
And  thou  shalt  make  two  rings  of  gold,  and  put  them  upon  the  two 
ends  of  the  breastplate,  on  the  border  thereof,  which  is  on  the  side  of 
the  ephod  inward.  27  And  thou  shalt  make  two  rings  of  gold,  and 
put  them  on  the  shoulder  straps  of  the  ephod  beneath,  in  the  iront  of 
it,  over  against  the  joining  thereof,  above  the  belt  of  the  ei)hod.  28 
And  they  shall  bind  the  breastplate  by  its  rings  to  the  rings  of  the 
ephod  with  a  lace  of  blue,  to  be  upon  the  belt  of  the  ephod,  that  the 
breastplate  be  not  looseil  from  the  ephod.  29  And  Aaron  shall  bear 
the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  in  the  breastplate  of  judgment  upon 
his  heart,  when  he  goeth  into  the  holy  place,  for  a  memorial  before  the 
Lord  continually.  30  And  thou  shalt  put  in  the  breastplate  the 
Urini  and  the  Tummin  ;  and  they  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  heart  when 
he  goeth  in  before  the  Lord  :  and  Aaron  .shall  bear  the  judgment  of 
tlie  sons  of  Israel  upon  his  heart  before  the  Lono  continually.    §  G8. 

31  And  thou  shalt  make  the  robe  of  the  ephod  all  of  blue.  32 
And  there  shall  be  a  hole  for  the  head  in  the  midst  thereof:  it  shall 
have  a  binding  round  the  hole  of  it  of  woven  work,  as  it  were  the  hole 
of  a  habergeon,  that  it  be  not  rent.  33  And  thou  shalt  make  upon 
the  hem  of  it  pomegranates  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson,  round 
about  the  hem  thereof  :  and  bells  of  gold  between  them  round  alntut. 
34  A  bell  of  gold  and  a  pomegranate,  a  bell  of  gold  and  a  pomegranate 
upon  the  hem  of  the  robe  round  about.  35  And  it  shall  be  upon 
Aaron  to  minister :  and  his  sound  shall  be  heard  when  he  goeth  into 
the  holy  place  before  the  Louu,  and  when  he  comcth  out,  and  he  shall 
not  die.  8  09. 


290  THE  ATTIRE  OF  THE  PRIEST. 

36  And  thou  slialt  make  a  plate  of  pure  gold,  and  grave  upon  it  with 
the  engravings  of  a  signet,  holiness  to  the  Lord.  37  And  thou  shalt 
put  it  on  a  lace  of  blue,  and  it  shall  be  upon  the  mitre  ;  upon  the  fore 
front  of  the  mitre  shall  it  be.  38  And  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  fore- 
head, and  Aaron  shall  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  holy  things,  Avhich  the 
sons  of  Israel  shall  hallow  in  all  their  holy  gifts  :  and  it  shall  be 
upon  his  forehead  continually,  that  they  may  be  accepted  before  the 
Lord. 

39  And  thou  shalt  weave  in  figures  the  coat  of  linen,  and  thou 
shalt  make  a  mitre  of  linen,  and  thou  shalt  make  a  girdle  of  needle- 
work. 

40  And  for  Aaron's  sons  thou  shalt  make  coats,  and  thou  shalt 
make  for  them  girdles,  and  bonnets  shalt  thou  make  for  them  for  glory 
and  beauty.  41  And  thou  shalt  put  them  upon  Aaron  thy  brother, 
and  his  sons  with  him  ;  and  thou  shalt  anoint  them,  and  fill  their 
hand,  and  sanctify  them,  and  they  shall  be  priests  unto  me.  42  And 
make  for  them  linen  breeches  to  cover  the  flesh  of  nakedness  ;  from 
the  loins  even  imto  the  thighs  shall  they  be.  53  And  they  shall  be 
upon  Aaron  and  upon  his  sons,  when  they  go  into  the  tent  of  meet- 
ings, or  when  they  draw  nigh  to  the  altar  to  minister  in  the  holy  place  ; 
and  they  shall  not  bear  iniquity  or  die  :  a  statute  for  ever  to  him  and 
to  his  seed  after  him.  §  70 

As  soon  as  we  arrive  at  the  altar  we  feel  the  need  of  the 
priest  who  is  to  officiate  thereat.  The  priest  stands  at  the 
middle  point  between  God  and  man  in  this  description. 
Hitherto  we  have  come  forth  from  God  to  man.  Witli  the 
priest  we  shall  presently  return  from  man  to  God.  From  God 
the  priest  comes  to  man,  authorized  to  invite  the  sinner  to 
return  with  penitence,  confession,  and  faith,  to  God,  and  to 
make  the  propitiatory  sacrifice  for  all  who  return.  From  man 
he  returns  to  God,  having  made  propitiation,  to  make  pre- 
vailing intercession  for  all  whom  he  represents.  His  generic 
character  then  is  to  be  the  mediator  between  God  and  man, 
authorized  on  the  one  hand,  and  accepted  on  the  other.  His 
specific  difference  is  that,  inasmuch  as  man  is  sinful,  he  has  to 
make  the  expiation  that  satisfies  for  sin,  and  renders  his 
mediation  effectual.  Tiie  present  chapter  enjoins  the  calling 
and  clothinsr  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  in  official  robes.  The 
garments  of  the  priests  are  so  minutely  specified,  not  because 
the  outer  covering  is  of  an}^  importance  in  itself,  provided  it 


EXODUS  XXVIII.  1-5.  297 

be  only  decent  nnd  comely,  but  because  it  is  intended  to  be 
syuibolic  of  the  various  duties  which  the  piiest  has  to  per- 
form. This  design  comes  out  again  and  again  in  the  descrip- 
tion, and  cfives  an  instructive  siojnilicance  to  matters  whicli 
would  otherwise  have  been  left  to  the  taste  of  the  individual. 
Teaching  by  figures  was  peculiarly  appropriate  in  the  infantile 
state  of  the  world,  when  men  had  their  very  ideas  yet  to 
form,  and  oral  instruction  and  literary  education  were  open 
to  a  very  few, 

V.  1-5.  The  call  to  the  priesthood,  and  the  general  enume- 
ration of  the  priestly  garments.  And  ihoiL  Moses  has  been 
hitherto  the  plenipotentiary  of  heaven,  including  all  offices 
and  powers  in  himself  To  him  then  all  commands  are 
iysued.  Bring  near  for  thee.  For  thy  part  bring  near  unto 
me.  From  among  the  sons  of  Israel,  who  are  all  in  a  larger 
sense,  "  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy  nation " 
(xix.  G).  To  be  priests  unto  me.  The  term  ]*}?  (Kohen)  is 
sometimes  applied  to  a  civil  officer,  bearing  the  same  relation 
to  the  king  that  the  priest  does  to  the  king  of  kings  (2  Sara, 
viii.  18,  XX.  26,  1  Kings  iv.  8,  1  Chr.  xviii.  17).  Hence  it 
originally  means  a  mediator,  advocate,  or  intercessor  appointed 
by  the  sovereign.  The  element  of  sin  in  the  case  of  man  in- 
volves the  office  of  expiation  in  an  efficacious  mediator,  and 
this  is  the  priest  strictly  so  called,  v.  2.  Holy  garments. 
Holy  because  divinely  prescribed,  and  having  a  holy  signifi- 
cance. They  figured  the  righteousness  which  is  the  outward 
garb  of  a  soul  loyal  to  God.  For  glory  and  for  beauty. 
Glory  is  the  outshining  of  intrinsic  excellence.  Beauty  is 
that  pleasing  characteristic  which  distinguishes  the  glorious 
from  the  shameful.  For  evil  has  its  sensible  outgoing  of 
shame  and  ugliness.  The  inward  cannot  but  have  its  corre- 
sponding outward  show  to  an  all-penetrating  eye.  The  high- 
est of  all  excellence  is  moral  rectitude,  the  glory  and  beauty 
of  wliich  are  shadowed  forth  by  the  priestly  garments.  2. 
Tlie  wise  of  heart.  The  heart  is  the  term  for  the  whole 
mental  faculties  in  the  metaphorical  usage  of  Hebrew  speech. 
Tlte  spirit  of  iviadom  here  is  that  pre-eminent  mechanical 
skill,  which  is  competent  to  conceive  and  realise  the  design 
in  hand.  v.  4,  5.  Six  parts  of  the  sacerdotal  attire  are  here 
enumerated,  three  of  which  are  peculiar  to  the  high   priest — 


298  THE  EPHOD. 

the  breastplate,  the  ephod,  and  the  robe.  The  other  three  are 
common  with  him  to  the  other  priests — the  chequered  coat, 
the  mitre,  and  the  girdle,  with  this  difference,  that  in 
place  of  the  mitre,  the  common  priest  has  the  bonnet  or 
turban  (v.  40).  The  number  three  is  conspicuous  here,  as  in 
the  structure  of  the  tabernacle.  The  doubling  of  this  number 
in  the  high  priest's  attire  indicates  his  pre-eminence  in  priestly 
rank.  The  materials  of  which  they  are  to  consist  are  the 
same  that  were  used  in  making  the  inner  curtains  of  the 
sanctuary. 

V.  6-1  4.  The  ephod.  The  materials  and  workmanship  of 
the  ephod  and  the  curtains  of  the  mishkan  are  the  same,  with 
the  exception  of  the  cherubim,  v.  7,  8.  A  patient  considera- 
tion of  the  description  of  the  ephod  leads  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  a  shoulder-piece  Q'^uf/,!;  Sept.)  or  single  lappet 
covering  the  back  and  reaching  under  the  arm.  This  was 
kept  in  its  place  by  two  contrivances  :  First,  two  shoulder- 
straps  extending  from  the  upper  part  behind  were  attached  to 
the  side  pieces  under  the  arms  that  came  out  in  front  immedi- 
ately above  the  waist-band :  Secondly,  the  belt  along  the 
lower  part  of  the  ephod  went  round  the  waist,  and  so  fastened 
it  on.  The  Rabbins,  indeed,  and  many  commentators  after 
them,  hold  that  there  were  two  lappets,  each  a  cubit  in 
length,  one  in  front  and  one  behind,  connected  by  two 
shoulder-straps.  But  this  is  against  the  text,  and  against 
Josephus,  who  expressly  states  that  the  ephod  left  the  breast 
uncovered  (Antiq.  iii.  7,  5).  The  lappet,  straps,  and  belt,  were 
all  of  the  same  materials,  and  apparently  of  the  same  piece. 
The  gold  was  beaten  into  thin  plates,  and  cut  into  wires  in 
oi'der  to  be  interwoven  with  the  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet, 
and  fine  linen  (xxxix.  8).  v.  9-12.  Tivo  onyx  stones  are  to  be 
set  in  ouches  of  gold  on  the  shoulders  of  the  ephod.  The 
names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  are  to  be  engraven,  six  on  each 
stone,  according  to  their  birth.  The  names  of  the  elder  six 
sons,  according  to  Josephus,  were  on  the  right  shoulder,  and 
those  of  the  other  six  on  the  left.  The  probable  arrange- 
ment is — Reuben,  Simon,  Levi,  Judah,  Dan,  Naphtali,  Gad, 
Asher,  Issakar,  Zebulun,  Joseph,  Benjamin.  These  stones  are 
to  be  sto7ies  of  memorial  for  the  sons  of  Israel  before  the  Lord. 
The  engraven  names,  like  all  writings,  perpetuate  the  remem- 


EXODUS  XXVIII,  G-1  4.  209 

brance  of  the  persons  or  tliinf^s  named.  This,  therefore, 
intimates  that  the  descendants  of  Israel  are  on  the 
memory  of  the  high  priest  when  he  appears  before  the  Lord. 
And  the  direction  concerning  these  names  indicates  that  in  all 
this  tlie  God  of  mercy  has  Israel  in  perpetual  remembrance. 
The  office  of  the  high  priest  has  a  twofold  aspect,  as  he  is  the 
j)lenipotentiary  of  heaven  to  man,  and  as  he  is  the  propitiator 
of  heaven  for  man.  The  badge  of  official  authority  was  car- 
ried on  the  shoulder.  Hence  the  ephod  with  its  onyx-stones 
sliadows  forth  on  the  one  hand  the  authority  of  the  high 
priest  as  appointed  of  God  to  his  high  office.  On  the  other 
liand,  the  bearing  of  the  names  on  the  shoulder  indicates  the 
propitiatory  power  of  the  high  priest's  office.  The  shoulder  is 
the  scat  of  bearing  power.  And  bearing  the  names  of  the 
sons  of  Israel  is  a  forcible  Hebrew  symbol  for  saving  them  by 
an  interposition,  which  prevails  in  virtue  of  a  proper  atone- 
ment. By  a  familiar  expansion  of  the  figures,  the  high 
priest  appears  as  the  shepherd  (Gen.  xlix.  24)  who  bears  the 
lanjbs  on  his  shoulders.  He  thus  becomes  the  significant  type 
of  the  great  High  Priest,  whose  everlasting  arms  are  under- 
neath his  people.  The  onyx-stones  are  two,  simply  because 
the  shoulders  are  two  on  which  the  people  are  borne.  The 
names  are  in  a  group  upon  these  stones  to  indicate  that  the 
one  atonement  is  made  for  the  whole  body  of  the  ffxithful. 

v.  J  3,  1 4.  These  two  verses  stand  by  themselves  in  the 
original  text,  and  form  the  transiticm  from  the  description  of 
the  ephod  to  that  of  the  breast-plate.  The  ouches  of  [/old 
seem  to  be  those  in  which  the  onyx-stones  are  set.  Attach- 
ing. The  word  0^^533  is  very  obscure.  The  meaning,  "twisted," 
now  generally  given  to  it,  is  implied  in  the  following  word. 
It  appears  to  refer  to  the  use  made  of  the  chains.  They  were 
formed  not  of  rings,  but  of  gold  threads  twisted  in  the  man- 
ner of  a  cord.  These  are  fostened  on  the  ouches,  and  serve  to 
suspend  the  breast- piece,  and  form  a  close  connexion  between 
it  and  the  onyx-stoucs. 

V.  15-30.  The  breast-plate  of  judgment,  /.oyiTov  rr,;  xpIsiu; 
(v.  30)  is  not  a  plate  strictly  so  called,  but  a  piece  of  figured 
stufiT  like  the  ephod  ;  which,  when  doubled,  forme<l  a  square 
of  a  span,  or  about  nine  inches  each  way.  v.  1  7.  Thou  .^halt 
set  in  it  settinns  of  btonc.     The  twelve  stones  were  to  be  set 


300  THE  BREAST-PLATE. 

in  gold  (v.  20).  The  settings  may  have  been  separate,  but  it 
is  much  more  likely  that  they  were  connected  in  a  square 
frame  of  gold  which  was  attaclied  to  the  variegated  cloth  of 
the  breast-plate,  as  the  settings  of  the  onyx-stones  to  the 
shoulder-straps  of  the  ephod.  The  names  of  the  twelve  sons 
of  Israel  were  to  be  engraven  on  these  stones.  The  probable 
equivalents  of  the  Hebrew  names  of  these  stones  are  given  in 
the  version.  It  is  of  no  importance  to  ascertain  the  precise 
nature  of  each  stone,  as  the  particular  name  engraven  on  each 
is  not  specified.  It  suffices  to  know  that  the  characters  of 
the  tribes  were  as  different  as  those  of  the  stones,  v.  22-25. 
The  wreathen  or  twisted  chains  before  mentioned  in  connexion 
with  the  ephod  (v.  15),  are  here  introduced  in  their  relation 
to  the  breast-plate.  They  are  hooked  on  two  rings  attached 
to  the  upper  corners  of  the  breast-plate,  while  their  other 
ends  are  fastened,  as  already  stated,  to  the  ouches  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  ephod.  v.  26-28.  The  breast-plate,  thus 
suspended,  is  to  be  kept  in  its  place  by  a  lace  tying  a  ring  on 
each  of  its  two  lower  corners  to  a  corresponding  ring  on 
each  'of  the  lower  ends  of  the  shoulder-straps  above  the 
belt  of  the  ephod.  v.  26.  The  two  rings  of  the  breast-plate 
are  to  be  placed  on  the  border  of  it,  on  the  farther  or  lower 
side  of  the  ephod,  imuard;  that  is,  on  the  side  next  the  ephod. 
V.  27.  The  two  rings  of  the  ephod  are  to  match  them  underneath 
on  the  ends  of  the  shoulder-straps,  which  are  continued  down 
to  the  belt,  in  the  front  of  it,  on  the  borders  of  it  which  come 
under  the  arms  to  meet  the  breast-piece,  which  overlaps  it, 
and  covers  the  space  left  in  front.  Over  against  the  joining 
thereof,  the  joining  of  the  shoulder-strap  with  the  side  and 
with  the  belt  of  the  ephod. 

v.  29.  The  breast-plate  itself,  filling  up  the  space  of  a  span 
on  the  breast  between  the  two  shoulder-straps,  and  attached 
thereto  above  and  below,  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  complement 
of  the  ephod.  As  the  breast-piece  was  two  spans  or  a  cubit 
deep,  so  Josephus  informs  us  (iii.  7,  5)  that  the  ephod  was  of 
the  depth  of  a  cubit,  and  so  extended  as  far  below  the  belt 
behind  as  the  breast-plate  itself  before.  Being  part  of  a  com- 
mon whole,  they  share  in  a  common  significance.  The  names 
on  the  breast-plate,  in  common  with  those  on  the  ephod,  serve 
for  a  memorial  of  Israel  before  the  Lord  (v.  12).     As  the 


EXODTTS  XXVIII.   30.  301 

heart,  in  its  ethical  sense,  is  the  scat  of  intellectual  and  moral 
faculty,  the  bre^xst-plate  on  the  heart  is  the  emblem  of  oracu- 
lar and  judicial  utterance.  Hence  it  is  called  the  bieast-plate 
of  judgment,  and  in  the  Sept.  Xoyim  rrn  x^Ishd;,  the  oracle  of 
judgment.  In  this  respect  the  high  priest  appears  as  the 
authoritative  and  inspired  spokesman  of  Him  who  is  the  God 
of  truth  and  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  bearing  of  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  on  his  heart  is 
a  symbol  of  intercession,  the  second  half  of  the  priestly  medi- 
ation for  the  children  of  God.  As  each  name  is  now  on  a 
sep.arate  stone,  so  every  individual  believer  in  Him  who  has 
made  the  all-covering  atonement,  has  a  special  place  in  that 
all-prevailing  intercession  which  is  continually  going  on  at 
the  throne  of  grace. 

V.  30.  The  Urini  and  the  Tummim.  And  thou  shalt  put 
into  the  hreast-plate.  The  breast-piece  itself  is  a  piece  of 
elaborately  finished  cloth  (v.  1 5).  The  symmetrical  set  of 
precious  stones  mounted  in  gold,  whether  separate  or  in  a 
common  frame,  had  to  be  constructed  apart,  and  then  placed 
vj'dhin  the  compass  of  (p^)  the  breast-plate,  and  attached  to  it 
in  the  ordinaiy  way.  This  is  expressed,  not  before,  but  now 
in  the  words  above  quoted.  This  being  so,  the  Urim  and 
Tummim  are  the  twelve  precious  stones  mounted  in  gold, 
which  are  now  put  in  the  breast-plate.  And  they  shall  be 
upon  Aaroris  heart  when  he  goeth  in  before  the  Lord.  These 
significant  stones  shall  be  on  the  breast  of  the  high  priest 
when  he  goes  in  to  intercede,  or  essays  to  consult  the  Lord 
for  Israel  or  a  son  of  Israel. 

And  Aaron  shall  bear  the  judgment  of  the  sons  of  Israel 
upon  his  heart  before  the  Lord  continually.  A  judgment  is 
a  decision  or  sentence  according  to  law  or  rioht.  Now  the 
right  of  those  who  are  actually  guilty,  and  therefore  obnox- 
ious to  the  penalty  of  the  law,  resides  not  in  themselves,  but 
in  their  high  priest,  who  gives  satisfaction  for  the  offence,  and 
fulfils  the  requirements  of  the  law  on  their  behalf.  Hence 
Aaron  is  said  to  bear  the  judgment  of  the  sons  of  Israel  when 
he  prosecutes  their  cause  before  the  Lord  on  the  merits  of  his 
official  compliance  with  the  law  in  their  stead.  And  he  is 
said  to  bear  the  judgment  of  the  sons  of  Israel  when  the  Urim 
and  Tummim  are  upon  his  heart,  simply  because  these  words 


302  THE  URIM  AND  TUMMIM. 

are  a  significant  name  for  the  set  of  precious  stones  on  whicli 
their  names  are  engraven.  The  precious  stones,  distinct  from, 
yet  bearing  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  appear  to  stand 
for  him  who  has  been  ah-eady  described  as  "  the  Stone  of 
Israel"  (Gen.  xlix.  24),  or  more  precisely  to  point  out  certain 
of  his  leading  qualities,  either  in  their  unity,  as  the  onyx  on 
the  shoulder,  or  in  their  diversity,  as  the  twelve  stones  on  the 
breast-plate.  These  qualities  are  expressed  by  the  terms 
the  Urim  and  the  Tummim,  the  Lights  and  the  Eights, 
rendered  by  the  Sept.  rj^i/  briXooaiv  -/.al  riiv  dXyjhiav.  Hence  the 
importance  of  this  highly  significant  emblem  for  determining 
the  spiritual  meaning  of  the  breast-plate.  Now  the  two  lead- 
ing qualities  of  a  precious  stone  are  brilliance  and  hardness. 
For  the  latter  some  may  incline  to  substitute  perfection,  purity, 
or  freedom  from  any  flaw.  The  stones  of  the  breast-plate, 
then,  are  naturally  called  the  Lights  in  respect  of  their  bril- 
liance, and  the  Eights  (perfections  or  purities)  in  respect  of  their 
hardness  (or  perfection).  These  two  qualities  in  the  stone 
represent  the  light  and  the  right  that  are  in  the  high  priest 
for  the  enlightenment  and  the  reconciliation  of  those  who  come 
to  God  by  him.  He  exercises  the  functions  of  teaching  and 
sacrificing,  as  the  type  and  shadow  of  a  greater  than  himself 
The  Lord  above  is  the  o-reat  Illuminator  of  the  darkened  soul 
by  his  quickening  Spirit  (Gen.  i.  8,  viii.  3,  xii.  7,  xlviii.  1  5), 
and  at  the  same  time  the  great  Vindicator  from  the  evil  con- 
sequent on  sin  (Gen.  xlviii.  16)  by  a  righteousness  not  then 
fully  manifested  to  the  infant  Church.  The  deep  import  of 
the  Urim  and  the  Tummim,  however,  already  dawned  upon 
the  early  believer,  when  he  witnessed  the  high  priest  clothed 
with  the  divinely-instituted  breast-plate,  making  an  ofiering 
on  the  altar,  accepted  by  fire,  for  the  sins  of  the  people,  and 
returning  oracular  answers  from  God  to  the  reverent  enquirer; 
and  when  he  felt  within  himself  the  new-born  emotions  of 
faith  and  repentance  towards  God,  and  of  that  peace  of  con- 
science which  arises  from  the  confidence  that  an  atonement 
has  been  made  and  accepted  on  his  behalf  It  pleased  the 
Lord  to  indicate  the  light  and  right  which  he  vouchsafed  to 
his  people  by  the  precious  stones  on  the  breast-plate  of  the 
high  priest,  but  it  was  not  his  pleasure  that  these  should  re- 
side in  the  stones  as  a  charm  in  an  amulet.     Hence,  though 


EXODUS  XXVI 1 1.  31-35.  303 

it  was  ordained  tliat  the  high  priest  shoidd  be  clothed  in  the 
ephud  and  brea.st-phate  wlien  the  Lord  was  consulted  through 
him,  yet  the  divine  response  was  not  always  either  withheld 
in  the  absence  of  the  breast- plate,  or  granted  when  it  was  pre- 
sent. The  Lord  had  various  ways  of  communicating  know- 
ledge to  the  high  priest,  by  an  audible  voice,  and  by  other 
means  which  we  cannot  precisely  define.  But  we  have  no 
ground  whatever  for  the  inncy  that  he  conveyed  verbal  mes- 
sages to  the  high  priest  by  illuminating  or  raising  up  certain 
letters  on  the  stones.  The  four  letters,  n,  D,  V,  p,  do  not  occur 
on  the  stones.  And  besides,  no  possible  advantage  can  aiiso 
fiom  this  gratuitous  conjecture,  as  there  is  no  scarcity  of  pos- 
sible ways  in  which  the  oracular  respon-se  may  have  been 
given.  Here  it  becomes  us  to  observe  the  rational,  intelli- 
gible, and  open  meaning  of  this  most  significjint  part  of  the 
sacerdotal  attire.  There  is  nothing  concealed  :  no  idolatrous, 
mystical  or  magical  object  or  image,  such  as  the  Teraj^him 
(Spencer,  Legg.  Ritual,  III.  iii.  2),  or  three  ancient  stones,  one 
for  the  affirmative,  one  for  the  negative,  and  a  third  for  nei- 
ther (^lichaelis,  ]\[os.  R.  i.  52),  or  diamond  dice  (Zullig)  ;  no- 
thing like  the  golden  figure  of  the  Goddess  of  Truth  (Thmei) 
worn  by  the  chief  judge  of  Egypt  (Diod,  Sic,  i.  48,  75)  ;  but 
simply  a  series  of  precious  stones  worn  openly  on  the  breast, 
with  the  names  of  the  twelve  sons  of  Israel  engraven  in  j)lain 
letters  on  them  for  a  memorial.  These  are  called  Urim  and 
Tummim,  Lights  and  Rights,  in  reference  to  the  high  func- 
tions of  pro})hetic  revelation  and  priestly  intercession  which 
were  exercised  by  the  high  priest  for  the  benefit  of  the  people, 
v.  31-35.  The  robe  of  the  ephod.  This  phrase  implies 
that  the  robe  belonged  to  the  ephod ;  and  hence  the  three 
pieces,  the  breast-plate,  the  ephod,  and  the  robe,  were  re- 
garded as  one  whole.  The  robe  is  to  be  entirely  of  blue.  It 
is  a  close-fitting  garment,  having  an  aperture  for  the  head,  and 
slits,  we  must  understand,  for  the  arms.  It  was  without 
seam,  being  entirely  woven  even  to  the  hem  or  binding  round 
the  neck.  It  reached  to  the  knee,  being  longer  than  the  ephod, 
and  shorter  than  the  chequered  coat.  v.  33-35.  Upon  tlie 
skirt  of  it  were  to  be  pomegranates  of  blue,  and  j)urple,  and 
crimson,  alternating  with  bells  of  gold.  Aaron  is  to  wear  this 
robe  when  he  ministers ;  and  thus  his  sound  shall  be  heard 


304  THE  HOLY  CROWN. 

when  he  goeth  into  the  holy  place  and  when  he  cometh  out, 
that  he  die  not.  This  robe  is  a  type  of  that  which  preserves 
from  death.  Now  we  know  that  disobedience  is  the  cause  of 
death,  and  of  course  obedience  is  the  safeo-uard  ao^ainst  it 
(Gen.  xvi.  1 7).  The  robe,  then,  is  a  symbol  of  that  righteous- 
ness which  is  the  only  security  of  eternal  life.  Without  this 
robe,  then,  the  high  priest  may  not  appear  in  the  pi'esence  of 
God  on  pain  of  death.  The  sound  manifests  to  Aaron  and  to 
all  concerned  that  the  mail  of  proof  has  been  put  on,  and  the 
dread  of  death  is  removed.  It  is  not  "probable  that  the  people 
in  general  were  so  near  as  to  hear  the  tiidvling  of  these  bells, 
and  therefore  we  cannot  suppose  that  the  actual  hearing  of  the 
sound  during  the  ministration  of  the  high  priest  within  the 
sanctuary  was  intended  to  convey  any  intimation  to  them. 
This  view  of  the  robe  confirms  the  import  of  the  ephod  and 
breast-plate  that  are  connected  with  it.  The  conjoint  indica- 
tion of  the  threefold  whole  is  that  the  high  priest  is  appointed 
by  God  to  bear  the  sins  of  the  people,  to  intercede  on  their 
behalf,  to  reveal  to  them  the  truth  of  God,  and  to  appear  in  a 
perfect  righteousness  as  their  representative, 

V.  36-38.  The  crown  of  holiness  (xxxix.  80).  Before  pro- 
ceeding to  the  parts  of  the  priestly  attire,  which  are  common 
to  all  priests,  the  significant  crown  of  holiness  is  to  be  added 
to  what  has  gone  before.  This  consists  of  a  plate  of  pure  gold 
attached  to  the  mitre  by  a  lace  of  blue,  so  that  it  may  rest  on 
the  forehead.  On  this  plate  is  engraven  the  phrase,  Holiness 
TO  THE  Lord.  By  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  on  the  pre- 
cious stones,  Aaron  was  marked  out  as  the  representative  of 
the  people.  By  the  sentence  on  the  diadem,  he  is  signalised 
as  the  representative  of  God.  In  him  is  typified  that  intrin- 
sic holiness  on  account  of  which  alone  the  people  can  be 
accepted.  By  this  holiness  alone  can  he  be  quaUfied  to  under- 
take the  cause  of  the  people,  and  so  "  bear  the  iniquity  of  their 
holy  things,"  that  they  may  be  accepted  before  the  Lord. 
It  is  notable  that  in  the  significance  of  the  ephod  and  the 
breastplate,  the  bearing  of  the  people  is  mentioned,  and  in  the 
explanation  of  the  crown  the  bearing  of  their  sins  is  brought 
forward.  The  reason  of  this  seems  to  be  that  in  the  former 
case  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  mediator  are  regarded,  in 
the  latter  his  holiness  is  made  prominent.     It  is  also  worthy 


EXODUS  XXVIII.  3G-38.  305 

of  remark  that  in  the  epliod  tlie  priestly  office  is  obvious,  in 
the  breastplate  the  prophetic  conies  into  view,  and  in  the  crowu 
of  holiness  the  kingly  makes  its  appearance,  while  at  the  same 
time  the  priestly  discloses  itself  throughout. 

V.  39.  In  one  verse  the  three  i)ieces  of  dress  that  are  com- 
mon to  all  the  priests  are  sunnnarily  described.  Tlie  coat  of  linen 
is  to  be  checkered  or  figured  in  the  loom.  It  was  worn  above 
the  shirt,  provided  with  sleeves,  and  reaching  to  the  feet.  It  was 
probably  an  emblem  of  moral  purity.  The  milre  was  of  tlie 
same  material,  and  seems  to  have  been  wrapped  round  the 
head  like  a  turban.  On  the  front  of  it  was  attached  the 
golden  plate  described  in  the  previous  verses.  The  bonnet 
was  used  by  the  ordinary  priest  in  place  of  the  mitre.  The 
girdle  was  also  of  linen,  embroidered  with  the  needle.  Josephus 
says  that  it  was  four  lingers  wide,  wound  twice  round  the 
body,  and  tied  in  front,  the  ends  hanging  down  to  the  feet. 
Maimonides asserts  that  it  was  three  fingers  wide  and  thirty-two 
cubits  long.  It  forms  a  very  ornamental  part  of  Eastern 
dress, 

V.  40-43.  The  dress  of  the  other  priests  consisted  of  coats, 
girdles,  and  bonnets.  For  glory  and  beauty  (v.  2).  Garments 
of  splendid  appearance  and  pleasing  to  the  eye  become  the 
incomparable  dignity  of  the  priestly  office,  v.  41.  The  chap- 
ter now  closes  as  it  began,  with  directions  to  put  these  gar- 
ments upon  Aaron  and  his  sons,  to  anoint  them,  to  fill  their 
hand  and  sanctify  them,  that  they  may  minister  to  the  Lord 
in  the  priests'  office.  The  filling  of  the  hands  is  the  placing 
of  the  prescribed  sacrifices  in  their  hands,  in  the  offiiring  uf 
which  they  are  not  only  sanctified  for,  but  instituted  into 
their  office.  The  Levitical  priests  had  to  offer  for  themselves, 
as  they  were  but  fallen  men  like  their  fellow-worshippers,  and 
therefore  but  types  and  shadows  of  a  true  and  perfect  priest 
to  come.  v.  42.  The  breeches  are  mentioned  apart,  because 
they  do  not  belong  to  the  official  dress  of  the  priest,  but  are 
prescribed  for  the  sake  of  decenc}''.  The  organs  of  excretion 
are  called  the  flesh  of  nakedness,  because  their  exposure  is  the 
exposure  of  a  defilement  connected  with  decay  and  death,  and 
indicative  of  that  moral  defilement  which  brought  death  into 
the  world  of  mankind.  These  parts  are  to  be  specially  con- 
cealed in  those  who  are  to  be  types  of  moral  purity  when  they 

U 


806  THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 

approach  the  tent  of  meeting  or  the  altar.  The  "  statute  for 
ever  "  may  be  regarded  as  applying  to  the  whole  of  the  regu- 
lations concerning  dress. 

Tradition  records  that  the  old  garments  of  the  priests  were 
unravelled  and  made  into  wicks  for  the  lamps  at  the  feast  of 
tabernacles. 


CHAP.  XXIX.    THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 

24.  HDlJn  a  wave-offering,    r.  wave  to  and  fro. 
2 '7.  T\iyr\T\  a  lieave-offering.    r.  be  high. 

And  this  is  the  thing  that  thou  shalt  do  unto  them  to  hallow  them 
to  act  as  priests  unto  me  :  take  one  young  bullock  and  two  rams  with- 
out blemish.  2  And  unleavened  bread,  and  unleavened  cakes  tem- 
pered with  oil,  and  unleavened  wafers  anointed  with  oil ;  of  wheaten 
flour  shalt  thou  make  them.  3  And  thou  shalt  put  them  into  one 
basket,  and  bring  them  in  the  basket,  with  the  bullock  and  the  two 
rams.  4  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  thou  shalt  bring  unto  the  door  of 
the  tent  of  meeting  ;  and  shall  wash  them  with  water.  5  And  thou 
shalt  take  the  garments,  and  clothe  Aaron  with  the  coat  and  the  robe 
of  the  ephod  and  the  ephod  and  the  breastplate  ;  and  gird  him  with 
the  belt  of  the  ephod.  6  And  thou  shalt  set  the  mitre  upon  his  head, 
and  put  the  holy  crown  upon  the  mitre.  7  And  thou  shalt  take  the 
anointing  oil  and  pour  it  upon  his  head  and  anoint  him.  8  And 
his  sons  thou  shalt  bring  and  clothe  them  with  coats.  9  And  thou 
shalt  gird  them  with  girdles,  Aaron  and  his  sons,  and  bind  on  them 
bonnets  :  and  the  priestly  office  shall  be  theirs  for  a  perpetual  statute  : 
and  thou  shalt  fill  the  hand  of  Aaron  and  the  hand  of  his  sons.  10 
And  thou  shalt  bring  the  bullock  before  the  tent  of  meeting ;  and 
Aaron  and  his  sons  shall  put  their  hands  upon  the  head  of  the  bullock. 
1 1  And  thou  shalt  kill  the  bullock  before  the  Lord,  at  the  door  of  the 
tent  of  meeting.  12  And  thou  shalt  take  of  the  blood  of  the  bullock 
and  put  it  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar  with  thy  finger,  and  pour  all 
the  blood  at  the  bottom  of  the  altar.  13  And  thou  shalt  take  all  the 
fat  that  covereth  the  inwards,  and  the  caul  above  the  liver,  and  the 
two  kidneys,  and  the  fat  that  is  upon  them,  and  burn  them  upon  the 
altar.  14  And  the  flesh  of  the  bullock  and  his  skin  and  his  dung 
shalt  thou  burn  with  fire  without  the  camp  :  it  is  a  sin-offering.     15 


EXODUS   XXIX,  307 

And  thou  slialt  take  the  one  ram  ;  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall  lay 
their  hands  upon  the  head  of  the  ram.  IG  And  thou  shall  slay  the 
ram,  and  thou  shalt  take  his  blood  and  sprinkle  upon  the  altar  round 
about.  17  And  tliou  shalt  cut  the  ram  in  pieces,  and  wash  his  inwards 
and  his  legs,  an<l  put  them  on  his  pieces  and  on  bis  head.  18  And 
thou  shalt  burn  the  whole  ram  on  the  altar  ;  it  is  a  burnt-offering  unto 
the  Loud,  a  sweet  savour,  an  offering  by  fire  unto  the  Lord.  19  And 
thou  shalt  take  the  other  ram  ;  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall  lay  their 
liands  upon  the  head  of  the  ram.  20  And  thou  shalt  kill  the  ram 
and  take  of  his  blood,  and  put  it  upon  the  tip  of  the  right  ear  of  Aaron 
and  upon  the  tip  of  the  right  ear  of  his  8ou.s,  and  upon  the  thumb  of 
their  right  hand  and  upon  the  great  toe  of  their  right  foot ;  and  thou 
ehalt  sprinkle  the  blood  upon  the  altar  round  about.  21  And  thou 
shalt  take  of  the  blood  that  is  upon  the  altar,  and  of  the  anointing  oil, 
and  sprinkle  it  upon  Aaron  and  upon  his  garments  and  upon  his  sons 
and  upon  his  sons'  garments  with  him  ;  and  he  shall  })e  hallowed  and 
his  garments  and  bis  sons  and  his  sons'  garments  with  him.  22  And 
thou  shalt  take  of  the  ram  the  fat  and  the  rump,  and  the  fat  that 
C(»vereth  the  inwards,  and  the  caul  of  the  liver,  and  the  two  kidneys 
and  the  fat  that  is  upon  them,  and  the  right  shoulder;  for  it  is  the 
ram  of  consecration.  23  And  one  loaf  of  bread,  and  one  cake  of  oiled 
bread  and  one  wafer,  out  of  the  basket  of  unleavened  bread  that  is 
before  the  Lord.  24  And  thou  shalt  put  all  in  the  hands  of  Aaron 
and  in  the  hands  of  liis  sons ;  and  thou  shalt  wave  them  lor  a  wave- 
offering  before  the  Lord.  25  And  thou  shalt  take  them  out  of  their 
hands,  and  burn  them  up  on  the  altar  for  a  burnt-offering,  for  a  sweet 
savour  before  the  Lord  :  it  is  an  offering  by  fire  unto  the  Lord.  26 
And  thou  shalt  take  the  breast  of  the  ram  of  consecration  which  is 
Aaron's  and  wave  it  for  a  wave-offering  before  the  Lord  :  and  it  shall 
be  thy  part.  27  And  thou  shalt  hallow  the  breast  of  the  Avave-ofTer- 
ing,  and  the  shoulder  of  the  heave-offering,  which  is  waved  and  which 
is  heaved  up,  of  the  ram  of  consecration,  of  that  which  is  to  Aaron  and 
to  his  sons.  28  And  it  shall  be  Aaron's  and  his  .sons'  by  statute  for 
ever  from  the  sons  of  Israel ;  for  it  is  a  heave-offering  :  and  a  heave- 
offering  shall  it  be  from  the  sons  of  Israel  of  the  sacrifices  of  their 
peace-offerings,  their  heave-offering  unto  the  Lord. 

29  And  the  holy  garments  of  Aaron  shall  be  for  his  sons  after  liim, 
to  anoint  them  therein  and  to  fill  their  hands  in  them.  30  Seven  days 
shall  the  priest  after  him  of  his  sons  put  them  on,  when  he  cometh 
into  the  tent  of  "meeting  to  minister  in  the  sanctuary.  31  And  thou 
shalt  take  the  ram  of  consecration,  and  seethe  his  llesh  in  a  holy  place. 
32  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall  eat  the  flesh  of  the  ram,  and  the 
bread  that  is  in  the  basket,  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.     33 


808  THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 

And  they  shall  eat  those  things  wherewith  atonement  was  made,  to  fill 
their  hands  and  hallow  them  :  and  a  stranger  shall  not  eat  thereof,  for 
they  are  holy.  34  iVnd  if  there  remain  any  of  the  flesh  of  consecration 
and  of  the  bread  until  the  morning,  then  thou  shalt  burn  the  remain- 
der with  fire  :  it  shall  not  be  eaten,  for  it  is  holy.  35  And  thus  shalt 
thou  do  unto  Aaron  and  to  his  sons,  according  to  all  that  I  have  com- 
manded thee  :  seven  days  shalt  thou  fill  their  hand.  36  And  thou 
shalt  offer  every  day  a  bullock  of  sin-offering  for  atonement :  and 
thou  shalt  purge  the  altar,  when  thou  makest  atonement  upon  it,  and 
thou  shalt  anoint  it  to  hallow  it.  37  Seven  days  shalt  thou  make 
atonement  upon  the  altar,  and  hallow  it :  and  the  altar  shall  be  most 
holy  ;  whatsoever  toucheth  the  altar  shall  be  holy.  §  71 

38  And  this  is  that  which  thou  shalt  offer  upon  the  altar ;  two 
lambs  of  the  firet  year  day  by  day  continually.  39  The  one  lamb 
thou  shalt  offer  in  the  morning  and  the  other  lamb  thou  shalt  offer 
between  the  evenings.  40  And  a  tenth  deal  of  flour  mingled  with 
the  fourth  of  a  bin  of  beaten  oil,  and  for  a  drink-offering  the  fourth  of 
a  bin  of  wine  for  the  one  lamb.  41  And  the  other  lamb  thou  shalt 
offer  between  the  evenings,  and  shalt  do  thereto  according  to  the  meat- 
offering of  the  morning  and  according  to  the  drink-offering  thereof,  for 
a  sweet  savour,  an  offering  by  fire  unto  the  Lord.  W^A  continual 
burnt-offering  throughout  j'our  generations  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of 
meeting  before  the  Lord,  where  I  will  meet  you  to  speak  there  unto 
thee.  43  And  there  I  will  meet  with  tlie  sons  of  Israel ;  and  it  shall 
be  hallowed  by  my  glory.  44  And  I  will  hallow  the  tent  of  meeting 
and  the  altar:  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  will  I  hallow  to  act  as  priests 
to  me.  45  And  I  will  dwell  among  the  sons  of  Israel  and  will  be  their 
God.  46  And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  their  God,  that 
brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim,  that  I  might  dwell 
among  them  :  I  am  the  Lord  their  God.  ^  44. 

Having  given  specific  directions  concerning  the  official  attire 
of  the  priests,  the  sacred  writer  proceeds  to  settle  the  mode 
of  their  consecration  or  solemn  induction  into  ofiice. 

V.  1-28.  The  form  of  consecration.  In  this  solemn  process 
Moses  by  special  appointment  of  heaven  is  to  act  the  part  of 
priest  and  consecrator  and  so  lay  the  foundation  of  the  Aaronic 
priesthood.  To  consecrate  the  priests  is  to  halloiu  theon  to  act 
as  iwiests  unto  the  Lord.  It  consists  of  three  chief  parts  :  I, 
anointing  them ;  2,  making  atonement  for  them  by  sacrifice ; 
8,  causing  them  to  perform  a  part  of  their  ofiice,  in  earnest 
and  in  token  of  the  performance  of  the  whole  thenceforward 


EXODUS  XXIX.  1-28.  309 

with  full  authority.  All  this  is  precodcd  hy  three  ]>reliminary 
arraiigenients.  v.  1-3.  First,  the  bringing  forward  of  the 
articles  for  sacrifice.  The  offering  consists  in  its  fullest  form 
of  three  parts  ;  the  animal  or  proper  saci"ifice,  in  which  the 
blood  that  makes  atonement  was  shed,  the  meat-oflering,  and 
the  drink-offering.  In  these  two  the  thanksgiving  and  self- 
devotion  of  the  offerer  aie  jointly  expressed  ;  and  hence  the 
meat-offering  only  is  sometimes  employed,  as  in  the  present 
instance,  to  denote  this  state  of  mind.  The  three  animals  for 
sacrifice  are  a  young  bullock  and  two  ram.s.  Wifhovt  blemish. 
This  outward  freedom  from  fault  is  symbolic  of  that  intrinsic 
integrity  or  perfection  which  must  belong  to  the  real  sacrifice 
for  sin.  Three  kinds  of  bread  made  of  wheaten  flour  are 
employed  for  the  meat  offering.  Bread  baked  in  the  usual 
manner ;  cakes  mingled  with  oil,  a  kind  of  short  bread,  per- 
forated, as  its  name  indicates ;  and  wafers  with  oil  spread  upon, 
them.  These  indicate  the  fulness  and  variety  of  the  feelings 
and  duties  acknowledged.  They  are  all  unleavened  in  token  of 
the  sincerity  of  the  worshipper.  They  are  put  into  one  basket 
as  beinrj  one  offering,  and  are  brought  forward  with  the 
bullock  and  the  rams. 

V.  i.  The  second  preliminary  is  the  bringing  forward  of 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  the  parties  to  be  set  apart  for  office. 
Uyito  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  The  tent  has  been 
already  described  (xxvi.  7-1  5).  It  was  stretched  over  the 
tabernacle.  It  is  called  the  tent  of  meeting,  because  it  is  the 
appointed  place  of  meeting  with  God  on  the  part  of  the  high 
priest,  and  also  on  that  of  every  stated  assembly  of  the  people 
on  solemn  occasions  (v.  42,  43.  See  on  xii.  3).  At  the  door 
of  the  tent  means  in  a  circle,  the  circumference  of  which  touches 
the  door,  be  the  same  more  or  less  according  to  the  number 
constituting  the  meeting.  It  is  obvious  that  a  door  ten  cubits 
wide  and  a  gate  to  the  court  of  twenty  cubits  will  allow  a 
wide  scope  for  the  phrase  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting. 
And  shalt  icash  them  ivith  water.  At  the  time  when  this 
direction  would  be  carried  into  execution  the  laver  (xxx.  17- 
21)  would  have  been  constructed  and  placed  between  the  altar 
and  the  door  of  the  tent  (xl.  11,  12),  say  twenty-five  feet 
fiom  each.  Hence  Aaron  and  his  sons  were  at  the  door  of 
the  tent  of  meeting,  when  they  were  twenty-five  feet  from  the 


310  THE  FORM  OF  CONSECRATION. 

entrance.  The  washing  with  water  is  one  of  the  figures  for 
personal  cleansing  or  sanctification,  while  the  sprinkling  with 
blood  shed  at  the  altar  was  typical  of  legal  cleansing  or  justi- 
fication. 

V.  5,  G.  The  investiture  is  the  third  preliminary.  The 
coat  is  first  put  on  over  the  shirt,  then  the  robe,  then  the 
ephod  and  breastplate,  with  the  belt  of  the  ephod,  and  lastly, 
the  mitre,  with  the  crown  of  holiness  on  the  head.  We  have 
already  seen  the  typical  significance  of  the  articles  of  dress. 
Aaron  being  now  present  in  his  official  attire,  and  accom- 
panied with  the  offerings,  the  consecration  or  solemn  ordina- 
tion is  to  take  place. 

V.  7.  The  first  part  of  the  proper  ordination  is  the  anoint- 
ing. The  composition  of  the  anointing  oil  is  afterwards  ])re- 
scribed  (xxx.  22-25).  The  mode  of  application  is  pouring 
upon  the  head.  He  thus  becomes  a  mashiach,  a  representa- 
tive of  the  great  Messiah.  The  anointing  denotes  qualification 
for  oflSce  by  the  enlightening  and  sanctifying  operation  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord. 

V.  8,  9.  The  sons  of  Aaron  are  now  brought  forward. 
Their  investiture  is  summed  up  in  the  direction  to  clothe  them 
with  coats.  And  then  girdles  are  put  on  Aaron  and  his  sons. 
It  appears  from  this  that  the  girdle  was  put  over  the  belt  of 
the  ephod.  The  bonnets  are  bound  on  their  heads,  and  must 
therefore  be  furnished  with  ties  for  this  purpose.  The  priestly 
office  shall  be  theirs  for  a  perpetual  statute.  The  priesthood, 
in  its  virtue  and  effect,  is  absolutely  perpetual.  In  its  present 
form,  it  lasts  as  long  as  the  Levitical  economy,  And  thou 
shalt  Jill  the  hand.  After  the  qualification,  comes  naturally 
the  institution,  described  as  the  filling  of  the  hands  with  the 
instruments  of  office  that  they  may  be  used  in  some  initial  ser- 
vice. But  in  proceeding  to  this  we  meet  with  the  propitiation 
or  atoning  sacrifice,  by  which  they  become  recti  in  curia, 
right  in  point  of  law. 

V.  10-28.  The  second  part  is  the  removal  of  legal  disquali- 
fication by  a  series  of  sacrifices.  The  first  is  the  sin-offering 
(v.  10-14).  Here  is  the  direct  recognition  of  sin  in  the  in- 
tended officials,  and  therefore  of  the  need  of  an  atonement. 
The  bullock  is  to  be  brought  before  the  tent  of  meeting. 
Aaron  and  his  sons  are  to  put  their  hands  on  its  head  in  token 


EXODUS  XXIX.  1  5-28.  311 

that  their  sins  are  laid  on  it.  This  symholic  action  takes 
place  in  all  the  offerings  (v.  15,  10).  Moses  is  to  slay  the 
animal  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  He  is  to  sprinkle  of  the 
blood  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar,  and  pour  the  rest  at  its 
base.  It  is  the  blood,  which  is  the  life,  that  makes  atone- 
ment. All  the  fat  covering  the  inwards,  the  caul  or  midriff, 
the  kidneys  and  their  fat,  are  to  be  burnt  upon  the  altar. 
The  fat  is  the  best,  and  this  is  to  be  consumed  on  the  altar, 
as  a  satisfaction  to  justice  beyond  the  mere  ])rivation  of  life. 
The  remainder  of  the  sin-offering  is  to  be  carried  without  the 
camp,  as  an  unclean  thing,  and  there  consumed  with  fire,  to 
indicate  that  that  in  which  sin  resides  must  be  given  over  to 
destruction.  Such  is  the  awful,  yet  hopeful  significance  of  the 
sin-offering. 

V.  15-18.  Next  is  the  burnt-offering.  The  victim  is  in 
this  case  wholly  burnt  on  the  altar,  to  denote  that  a  full  pro- 
pitiation is  to  be  made  for  guilt.  The  blood  of  the  one  rara 
is  to  be  sprinkled  on  the  altar  round  about.  Its  body  is  then 
to  be  cut  in  pieces,  perhaps  into  quarters,  the  inwards  and 
legs  to  be  washed,  and  laid  upon  the  pieces  and  the  head  on 
the  altar.  The  burnt-offering  is  as  old  as  Noah's  day  (Gen. 
viii.  20).  The  offering  of  the  whole  victim  on  the  altar  gives 
prominence  to  the  idea  of  a  complete  substitution  of  one  for 
another.  It  is  a  sweet  savour,  because  it  scents  the  air  with 
the  flavour  of  savoury  meat,  and  thereby  vividly  expresses 
how  pleasing  to  the  Almighty  is  the  satisfaction  to  justice 
which  opens  the  way  to  remission  and  restoration.  It  is  an 
offering  hy  fire,  because  this  brings  to  view  the  utter  destruc- 
tion that  awaits  every  thing  tainted  with  sin. 

V.  19-28.  The  third  is  the  rara  of  consecration.  Touching 
the  body  with  the  blood  figures  tlie  application  of  that  which 
expiates  to  the  person  purged  from  guilt.  The  ear  is  the 
organ  of  hearing,  and  therefore  understanding  and  willing. 
The  hands  and  the  feet  are  the  two  great  organs  of  nearer  and 
more  distant  outward  act.  All  these  channels  of  true  obedi- 
ence needed  propitiation.  The  sprinkling  of  the  blood  upon 
the  altar  noted  to  whom  the  expiation  was  made.  v.  21. 
This  was  followed  by  a  remarkable  sprinkling  of  the  persons 
and  garments  of  the  priests  with  both  the  blood  upon  the 
altar  and  the  anointing  oil,  to  symbolize  at  the  same  time  the 


312  THE  FORM  OF  CONSECRATION. 

outward  and   legal,  and   the  inward   and  moral   purification 
which  was  essentiiil  to  the  priestly  office. 

V.  22-25.  The  filling  of  the  hands  here  begins.  This  simple 
but  significant  act  is  the  third  and  crowning  part  of  the  induction 
of  the  priests  into  ofiice.  The  fat  and  fatty  parts  of  the  ram, 
with  one  of  each  kind  of  cakes  in  the  basket,  are  taken  by 
Moses.  The  rump.  This  is  the  tail  of  the  sheep,  which  in 
the  broad-tailed  species  often  weighed  twenty  pounds,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  fat,  and  was  so  valuable  that  a  little  cart 
was  sometimes  placed  under  it  to  preserve  the  fat,  and  relieve 
the  animal,  v.  24.  All  these  are  to  be  |>wi  in  the  hands  of 
Aaron  and  his  sons.  From  a  comparison  of  the  present  pas- 
sage with  others  in  the  trial  of  jealousy  and  the  institute  of 
the  Nazarite  (Num.  v.  18,  vi.  19),  it  appears  that  to  put  an 
ofiering  into  the  hands  of  the  offerer  is  to  cause  him  thereby 
to  take  a  part  in  the  offering  and  in  all  its  consequences. 
The  significance  of  this  taking  in  hand  depends  on  the  nature 
of  the  offering  in  question.  Here  it  is  the  ram  filling  the 
hand  (v.  22).  Aaron  and  his  sons,  then,  here  take  the  first 
step  in  offering,  and  are  thereby  initiated  in  the  priestly 
office.  But  Moses  is  further  du-ected  to  wave  them  for  a 
wave  offering,  while  they  are  in  the  hands  of  the  priests. 
This  seems  to  be  accomplished  by  Moses  placing  his  hands 
beneath  those  of  the  priests,  and  convejnng  to  them  a  motion 
to  and  fro.  Waving  is  explained  by  Maimonides  and  Rashi 
to  be  a  going  and  coming  ;  that  is,  a  going  towards  the  altar 
in  token  of  dedication  to  the  Lord,  and  a  coming  again 
towards  the  priest  in  token  of  transference  to  the  priest  as 
his  share.  This,  however,  does  not  suit  the  present  case,  in 
which  the  things  waved  are  afterwards  consumed  on  the  altar. 
Later  rabbins  describe  it  as  a  movement  towards  the  four 
quarters  of  heaven,  to  denote  a  consecj'ation  to  the  omni- 
present God.  But  the  horizontal  movement  probably  indi- 
cates equality  of  rank,  while  heaving,  a  vertical  movement, 
points  to  superiority  and  inferiority  of  rank.  On  this  suppo- 
sition, while  either  movement  may  denote  an  active  part  in 
the  sacred  service,  waving  may  shadow  forth  the  communion 
of  the  worshippers  with  one  another,  and  heaving  the  com- 
munion of  the  worshipper  with  the  Being  worshipped.  In  the 
present  case,  the  waving  will  indicate  the  communion  of  Aaron 


EXODUS  XXIX.  2G-29.  .313 

niul  Ins  sons  witli  Moses  in  the  act  of  sacrifice.  After  the 
waving  Moses  is  to  take  the  things  waved  out  of  their  liands 
and  burn  them  upon  the  altar.  As  the  ram  is  here  paren- 
thetically called  "the  ram  of  filling"  of  the  hand,  it  is  mani- 
fest that  this  is  the  first  act  of  that  official  initiation  which  is 
continued  through  the  seven  days  of  consecration  (v.  35). 

V.  2G-28.  The  part  of  the  sacrifice  usually  assigned  to  the 
priest.  The  first  victim  offered  on  this  occa.sion  is  a  sin- 
offering,  the  second  a  burnt-ofFeiing.  After  sin  has  been  expi- 
ated, and  complete  satisfaction  made,  reconciliation  and  com- 
munion with  God  naturally  follow.  Hence  the  third  victim, 
the  ram  of  consecration,  is  of  the  nature  of  a  peace-offering,  in 
which  the  worshipper,  still  acknowledging  his  need  of  atone- 
ment, yet  advances  to  the  end  of  all  i)roj)itiation,  peace  with 
God,  communion  with  Him,  and  all  the  joy  of  salvation. 
Hence  the  peace-offering  included  a  feast  upon  a  sacrifice, 
shadowing  forth  the  communion  of  the  worshippers  with  God. 
The  priests  were  partakers  in  this  communion  ;  and  accord- 
ingly the  wave-breast  was  assigned  to  them,  and  the  heave- 
shoulder  to  him  who  officiated  on  the  occasion  (Lev.  vii.  32- 
84;).  Here,  then,  the  breast  of  the  ram  of  consecration  is 
assigned  to  Moses,  who  for  the  present  sums  up  the  whole 
priesthood  in  himself.  He  is  to  wave  it  for  a  wave-offering, 
in  token  of  his  communion  with  the  offerers  in  the  blessings 
of  peace  and  privilege,  v.  27.  He  is  to  Judlow,  or  set  apart 
to  a  sacred  use,  the  shoulder  of  the  heave-ofFerin<j-.  The 
heave-shoulder  was  to  be  the  share  of  him  who  transacted  the 
deed  of  atonement  and  fellowship  with  God,  in  offering  up 
the  fat  of  the  peace-offering  unto  the  Lord  (Lev.  vii.  33).  It 
was  taken  or  heaved  up  in  token  of  its  being  offered  to  God, 
by  whom  it  is  assigned  to  his  representative  among  men.  v. 
28.  This  is  the  heave-offering  out  of  the  peace-offerings  of  the 
sons  of  Israel,  by  a  perpetual  statute  (xxv.  2). 

V.  20-37.  Additional  directions  concerning  the  ordination 
of  the  liigh  priest.  The  successor  of  Aaron  shall  put  on  the 
official  dress  of  his  father  at  his  consecration,  and  wear  it 
during  the  seven  days  of  institution,  v.  31-31'.  The  .solemn 
feast  of  the  consecration.  The  flesh  of  the  ram  of  consecration 
is  /o  be  seethed  in  a  holy  place,  namely  in  some  part  of  the 
court  of  the  tabernacle.     Aaron  and  his  sons  are  then  to  cat 


314  THE  CONTINUAL  BURNT-OFFERING. 

it,  with  the  bread  in  the  basket,  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of 
meeting.  These  are  the  remainder  of  the  things  whereivith 
atonement  ivas  made  to  fill  their  hands,  and  set  them  apart 
for  their  sacred  service.  They  are  therefore  holy,  and  to  be 
used  only  by  the  priests,  who  are  holy.  For  the  same  reason, 
any  part  that  remains  till  the  morning  is  to  be  consumed  with 
fire.  V.  35-37.  The  filling  of  their  hand  is  to  continue  seven 
days.  Seven  is  the  number  of  sacredness,  and  is  therefore 
connected  with  this  most  holy  transaction.  Nothing  can 
transcend  the  moment  of  that  which  typifies  the  atonement 
between  erring  man  and  his  Maker.  Every  day  a  bullock  of 
sin-offering  for  atonement  is  to  ascend  the  altar,  which  is  to 
be  itself  purged  thereby.  It  is  also  to  be  anointed,  and  thus 
completely  hallowed.  Whatsoever  toucheth  the  altar  shall  be 
holy.  This  is  capable  of  two  meanings.  He  that  is  to  touch 
the  altar  must  be  holy.  Or  that  which,  in  the  way  of  ofier- 
ing,  toucheth  the  altar,  which  is  not  only  the  medium  of  pro- 
pitiation, but  is  now  made  most  holy,  becomes  thereby  holy, 
as  the  altar  sanctifies  the  gift  (Matt,  xxiii.  I'J).  Both  are 
true ;  but  the  latter  seems  most  in  keeping  with  the  context 
here  and  in  xxx.  29. 

v.  38-46.  The  continual  burnt-offering,  and  the  resulting 
communion  of  God  with  his  people.  When  the  order  of  the 
priesthood  has  been  instituted,  the  daily  sacrifice  can  be 
celebrated.  Two  lambs  of  the  first  year,  the  one  in  the 
morning,  the  other  between  the  evenings  fxii.  6).  v.  40,  41, 
The  meat  offering  is  to  be  the  tenth  of  an  ephah  of  flour 
mingled  with  the  fourth  of  a  hin  of  beaten  oil.  The  omer, 
or  tenth  of  the  ephah,  was  above  three  pints,  or  the  daily 
allowance  of  one  person.  A  handful  of  the  flour  and  oil  was 
offered  on  the  altar,  and  the  remainder  fell  to  the  priest  (Lev, 
ii,,  2,  3).  The  fourth  of  a  hin,  about  one  pint  (xii.  36).  The 
drink-offering  is  to  be  the  fourth  of  a  hin  of  wine.  It  was 
poured  out  about  the  altar  in  the  holy  place.  (Num.  xxviii. 
7,  Joseph.  Ant.  iii.  9,  4). 

V,  42-46,  The  continual  burnt-offering  is  to  be  presented 
at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  The  altar  was  probably 
thirty -three  and  a  third  cubits,  or  about  fifty  feet  from  the 
door.  The  tent  of  meeting  is  so  called,  because  there  the 
Lord  will  meet  with  Moses  to  speak  with  him.     After  the 


EXODUS  XXIX.  88-4G.  315 

sacrifice  of  propitiation  comes  the  reconciliation  and  coni- 
mmiion  with  God,  wliicli  is  here  simply  and  beautifully 
expressed  hy  his  meeting  and  conversing  with  Moses,  the 
representative  of  the  people.  v.  43.  The  intercourse  is 
extended  to  the  sons  of  Israel,  of  course  through  the  high 
}>riest.  The  ])lace  of  meeting  is  to  be  hallowed  by  the  glory 
of  the  Divine  presence  (v.  44).  The  tent  of  meeting,  tho 
altar,  and  tho  priests,  are  to  partake  alike  of  this  sacred 
character,  v.  45,  4G.  God  will  dwell  among  them  and  be 
their  God,  and  by  all  their  past  exj)erience  shall  the  people 
know  that  he  is  ilie  Lord  Uwir  God,  the  self-existent  Author  of 
all  being,  who  is  Eternal  and  Almighty,  and  who  has  deigned 
to  have  mercy  on  them,  and  adopt  them  to  be  his  people;  and 
in  pursuance  of  this  gracious  determination  has  hroujltt  theiti 
forth  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim,  that  he  might  dwell  among 
them.  To  this  glad  announcement  of  his  grace,  he  sets  the 
seal  of  promise  and  assurance  by  adding,  /  am  the  Lord  their 
God.  These  specifications  of  the  tabernacle  service  are  no 
mere  dry  detail,  but  a  record  of  heavenly  life  and  promise. 


CHAP.  XXX.    THE  REMAINING  ARTICLES  FOR  THE  TABERNACLE. 

23.  "io  Myrrh,  an  aromatic  plant  of  Arabia,  li^^  "io  flow- 
ing or  liquid  myrrh,      r.  fioui 

pD3ip  y.ind/MUfji.ov,  Cinnamon  is  of  the  best  quality  in  Ceylon. 

r.  perhaps  n^P  reed. 

^}_P  xaXa/xog  grows  in  Arabia  and  India. 

24.  ^"^p  of  the  same  class  with  ^^^P  cassia,     r.  split. 

34.  c;tj3  oTaxTTi  a  gum  spontaneously  distilling  from  the 
myrrh-plant.  Others  take  it  to  be  storax,  a  plant  growing  in 
Syria,  Arabia,  and  other  countries,  which  yields  a  fragrant  gum. 
r.  drop. 

rhn:^  oi>u^  onycha,  the  crustaceous  covering  of  the  shells  of 

the  trochus  and  conus.    r.  scrape  of. 

n33^n  p/aXCanj,  the  gum  of  the  stagonitis  growing  in  Arabia, 

Syria,  and  Abyssinia,    r.  fat  or  milky. 


816  REMAINING  FURNITURE  OF  THE  TABERNACLE. 

nyn?  xiZavog,  frankincense,  the  native  place  of  which  is 
Arabia  Felix,    r.  he  white. 

And  thou  shalt  make  an  altar  to  hurn  incense  upon ;  of  shittah  •wood 
shalt  thou  make  it.  2  A  cubit  shall  be  the  length  thereof,  and  a 
cubit  the  breadth  thereof;  square  shall  it  be;  and  two  cubits  shall  be 
the  height  thereof :  its  horns  shall  be  of  the  same.  3  And  thou  shalt 
overlay  it  with  pure  gold,  its  top,  and  its  sides  round  about,  and  its 
horns  :  and  thou  shalt  make  for  it  a  croAvn  of  gold  around  about. 

4  And  two  golden  rings  shalt  thou  make  for  it  under  the  crown  of  it 
on  the  two  flanks  thereof ;  on  the  two  sides  of  it  shalt  thou  make 
them  :   and  they  shall  be  places   for  the   staves  to  bear  it  withal. 

5  And  thou  shalt  make  the  staves  of  shittah- wood,  and  overlay  them 
with  gold.  6  And  thou  shalt  set  it  before  the  vail  that  is  by 
the  ark  of  the  testimony,  before  the  mercy-seat  that  is  over 
the  testimony,  where  I  will  meet  with  thee.  7  And  Aaron  shall  burn 
thereon  incense  of  spices  :  every  morning,  when  he  dresseth  the  lamps, 
shall  he  burn  it.  8  And  when  Aaron  setteth  up  the  lamps  between 
the  evenings,  he  shall  burn  it  :  a  perpetual  incense  before  the  Lord 
throughout  your  generations.  9  Ye  shall  burn  upon  it  no  strange 
incense,  nor  burnt-offering,  nor  meat-oft'ering ;  neither  shall  ye  pour 
drink-offering  thereon.  10  And  Aaron  shall  make  an  atonement  upon 
the  horns  of  it  once  in  a  year  :  with  the  blood  of  the  sin-oflfering  of 
atonement  once  in  the  year  shall  he  make  atonement  upon  it  through- 
out your  generations  ;  it  is  most  holy  unto  the  Lord.        2 1 .   T[*[f ^  45. 

11  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  12  When  thou 
takest  the  sum  of  the  sons  of  Israel  who  are  numbered,  then  shall  they 
give  each  a  ransom  for  his  soul  unto  the  Lord,  when  they  are 
numbered  ;  and  there  shall  be  no  plague  among  them  when  they  are 
numbered.  13  This  they  shall  give,  every  one  that  passeth  among 
the  numbered,  half  a  shekel  after  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary  :  the 
shekel  is  twenty  gerahs  ;  half  a  shekel  is  the  offering  unto  the  Lord. 
14  Every  one  that  passeth  among  the  numbered,  from  twenty  years 
old  and  above,  shall  give  the  offering  unto  the  Lord.  15  Tlie  rich 
shall  not  give  more,  and  the  poor  shall  not  give  less  than  half  a  shekel, 
when  they  give  the  offering  unto  the  Lord  to  make  atonement  for 
their  souls.  16  And  thou  shalt  take  the  money  of  atonement  from 
the  sons  of  Israel,  and  shalt  give  it  for  the  service  of  the  tent  of  meet- 
ing ;  and  it  shall  be  a  memorial  for  the  sons  of  Israel  before  the  Lord 
to  make  atonement  for  your  souls.  ^  46. 

17  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  18  Thou  shalt  also 
make  a  laver  of  brass,  and  its  stand  of  brass,  to  wash  withal  :  and  thou 
shalt  set  it  between  the  tent  of  meeting  and  the  altar ;  and  thou  shalt 


EXODUS  XXX.  317 

put  wator  therein.  19  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall  wash  thorcnut 
their  hands  and  their  feet.  20  When  they  go  into  the  tent  of  nieet- 
inf:^,  tliey  shall  wash  with  water,  and  shall  not  die  :  or  when  they  come 
near  to  the  altar  to  minister,  to  burn  an  offei'ing  hy  fire  unto  the  Lord. 
21  So  they  shall  wash  their  hands  and  tlieir  feet,  and  not  die  :  and  it 
shall  be  to  them  a  statute  for  ever,  to  him  and  to  liis  seed  throughout 
their  generations.  1[  47. 

22  And  tlio  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  23  And  thou  take 
for  thee  principal  spices,  of  i)ure  myrrh  five  hundred  shekels,  and  of 
sweet  cinnamon  half  so  much,  two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  of  sweet 
calamus  two  hundred  and  fifty,  24  And  of  cassia  five  hundred,  after 
the  shekel  of  tlie  sanctuary,  and  of  olive  oil  a  bin.  25  And  thou  shalt 
make  it  an  oil  of  holy  ointment,  a  perfume  compounded  after  the  ai-t 
of  the  perfumer  :  it  shall  be  a  holy  anointing  oil.  26  And  thou  shalt 
anoint  with  it  the  tent  of  meeting  and  the  ark  of  the  testimony, 
27  And  the  table  and  all  its  vessels,  and  the  candlestick  and  its  vessels, 
and  the  altar  of  incense,  28  And  the  altar  of  burnt-offering  and  all 
its  vessels,  and  the  laver  and  its  base.  29  And  thou  shalt  hallow 
them,  and  they  shall  be  most  holy  :  whatsoever  toucheth  them  shall 
be  holy.  30  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  thou  shalt  anoint,  and  hallow 
them  to  act  as  priests  unto  me.  31  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  tho 
sons  of  Israel,  saying,  This  shall  be  a  holy  anointing  oil  unto  rao 
throughout  your  generations.  32  Upon  man's  flesh  shall  it  not  bo 
j)Oured  ;  nor  shall  ye  make  any  like  it  in  its  proportion :  holy  is  it, 
holy  shall  it  be  unto  you.  33  Whosoever  compoundeth  any  like  it, 
or  whosoever  putteth  of  it  upon  a  stranger,  shall  even  be  cut  oil'  from 
his  people.  §  72. 

34  An(l  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Take  unto  thee  spices,  stacte, 
and  onycha,  and  galbanum  ;  spices  with  pure  frankincense  :  part  by 
part  shall  there  be.  35  And  thou  shalt  make  it  an  incense,  a  perfume, 
the  work  of  the  perfumer,  salted,  pure,  and  holy.  30  And  thou  shalfc 
beat  of  it  fine,  and  put  of  it  before  tho  testimony  in  the  tent  of  meet- 
ing Avhere  I  will   meet  with  thee  :  it   shall   be  unto  you  most  holj^ 

37  And  the  incense  which  thou  shalt  make  in  its  proportion  ye  shall 
not  make  for  yourselves  :  it  shall  be  for  you  holy  unto  the  Lord. 

38  Whosoever  shall  make  like  unto  it  to  smell  thereto,  shall  even  be 
cut  off  from  his  people. 

We  have  already  hinted  at  the  order  oKserved  in  this  spe- 
cification of  the  tabernacle  and  its  appurtenances.  The  author  of 
this  remarkable  document  proceeds  from  God  to  man;  from  tho 
centre,  the  ark  of  the  testimony  and  the  holy  of  holies,  to  the 
circumference,  the  altar  of  sacrifice  and  the  court  (xxv.-xxvii). 


318  THE  ALTAR  OF  INCENSE. 

He  next  determines  the  official  attire,  mode  of  consecration,  and 
stated  functions  of  the  priests  (xxviii.,  xxix.)  And  then  in  a 
closing  chapter  he  returns  with  the  high  priest  from  man  to 
God,  from  the  altar  of  sacrifice  to  the  altar  of  incense,  adding 
certain  things'  of  essential  moment  that  occur  on  this  blessed 
return.  The  starting-point  is  the  altar  of  propitiation,  then 
the  laver  of  purification,  and  lastly  the  altar  of  praise,  includ- 
ing confession,  adoration,  prayei',  and  thanksgiving.  Parallel 
with  the  two  latter  are  the  ointment  of  sanctification,  with 
which  all  things  are  to  be  hallowed,  and  the  incense  of  sup- 
plication, which  is  to  be  presented  before  the  mercy-seat.  The 
progress  and  regress  here  are  the  prophecy  and  the  history  of 
salvation.  First  God  comes  forth  to  man  with  the  mighty 
purpose  of  mercy  in  his  heart  and  on  his  lips  for  four  thou- 
sand years.  Then  the  Great  High  Priest  makes  atonement, 
and  returns  to  the  Father  to  send  forth  the  spirit  of  sanctifi- 
cation, and  to  make  intercession  for  all  who  accept  his  media- 
tion. So  the  awakened  sinner  finds  the  atonement  for  sin 
and  the  cleansing  of  the  heart  to  be  on  the  way  to  the 
Father. 

V,  1-10.  The  altar  of  incense.  It  is  called  an  altar,  a  place 
of  slaughtering  for  sacrifice,  though  no  such  offering  was  to 
be  made  on  it,  to  intimate  that  all  acceptable  worship  or  ser- 
vice is  only  through  an  atonement  previously  made.  It  there- 
fore presupposes,  and  is  itself  a  monument  of  the  altar  of 
burnt-offering.  To  hum  incense  upon.  Incense  in  regard  to 
the  priest  is  only  the  merit  of  obedience  for  another,  and  to 
burn  it  is  to  make  intercession  for  that  other.  In  regard  to 
the  general  worshipper,  the  off*ering  of  incense  symbolises 
every  act  of  prayer,  thanksgiving,  or  obedience,  which  is 
accepted  through  the  intercession  of  the  high  priest.  For  the 
propitiation  has  already  been  made  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice, 
and  the  sanctification  has  been  shadowed  forth  by  the  laver. 
And  the  redeemed  and  regenerate  man,  now  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  loves  to  speak  and  to  walk  with  his 
heavenly  Father,  v.  1-5.  The  altar  is  made  of  the  same  wood 
as  the  other  parts  of  the  tabernacle.  It  is  overlaid  with  gold, 
and  so  is  in  keeping  with  the  table,  and  stands  in  close  rela- 
tion with  the  candlestick  and  the  ark  of  the  covenant.  It  is 
adorned  with  a  crown  of  gold,  like  the  table  and  the  ark.     It 


EXODUS  XXX.  1-10.  819 

is  furnished  with  rings  and  staves,  with  wliich  it  may  be 
moved  from  place  to  ])laee.  v.  G.  It  is  to  he  placed  before  the 
vail  that  hangs  before  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  he/ore  tlte 
onercy-seat,  with  which  it  stands  in  intimate  correspondence 
of  meaning.  Both  presuppose  an  atonement  made  and  accepted ; 
and  over  the  mercy-scat  is  the  presence  of  God  merciful  and 
gracious,  and  at  the  altar  of  incense  is  the  high  priest  present- 
iug  the  ransomed  peo))lc,  that  they  and  their  service  may  be 
accepted.  Hence  the  addition,  ichere  I  luill  meet  xoitk  thee. 
In  accordance  with  this  intimate  connexion,  the  altar  of  incense 
was  probabl}'  placed  close  to  the  vail.  In  this  way  the  candle- 
stick, the  altar,  and  the  table  would  stand  at  the  middle 
points  of  the  inner  side  of  tb.e  holy  i)lace,  and  the  altar  would 
be  in  closest  proximity  with  the  mercy-seat.  v.  7-10.  Incense 
of  spices  is  to  be  burned  on  it  morning  and  evening  contin- 
ually. No  strange  incense,  none  but  that  prepared  by  divine 
a]ipointment  (v.  34-38),  no  burnt-offering,  meat-offering,  or 
drink-ofiering  is  to  be  burnt  on  it.  Once  every  year  Aaron 
is  to  make  atonement  upon  the  horns  of  it  by  sprinkling  upon 
it  with  his  finger  seven  times  the  blood  of  the  sin-offerincr  of 
atonement,  to  cleanse  it  and  to  hallow  it  from  the  uncleanness 
of  the  sons  of  Israel  (Lev.  xvi,  1 9).  This  was  directed  to  be 
done  also  when  a  sin-offering  was  to  be  presented  for  the  hifdi 
priest  or  the  congregation  (Lev.  iv.  7,  18).  It  is  most  holy 
unto  the  Lord.  This  character  is  ascribed  to  the  inner  sanc- 
tuary (xxvi.  33),  to  the  altar  of  burnt-offering  (xxix.  37),  to 
all  the  furniture  of  the  tabernacle  when  anointed  (xxx.  29),  to 
all  the  offerings  that  were  appropriated  to  the  priests,  and  to 
the  place  in  which  they  were  to  be  eaten  (Num.  xviii.  9,  10). 
In  the  first  of  these  instances  it  distinguishes  the  most  holy 
from  the  holy  place  :  in  the  others  it  expresses  emphatically 
the  exclusive  holiness  of  that  which  belongs  to  God. 

V.  11-lG.  A  regulation  is  here  introduced  concerning  those 
who  are  to  be  enrolled  as  the  host  of  the  Lord  (Num.  i.  3). 
Tliey  are  to  give  each  a  ransom  for  his  soul  unto  the  Lord 
when  they  are  numbered.  Here  is  the  constantly  recurring 
intimation  that  all  were  guilty  before  God.  They  cannot, 
therefore,  be  received  into  his  service  as  the  host  of  the  Lord 
without  a  ransom.  A  plague  must  fall  on  the  unransomed 
soul  that  was  enrolled  in  the  sacred  hst.      The  ransom  money 


320  '  THE  LAYER. 

is  a  bekah,  or  half  shekel.  This  is  directed  to  be  after  the 
shekel  of  the  sanctuary.  The  standard  is  fixed  at  twenty 
gerahs.  We  have  not  the  means  of  ascertaining  the  value  of 
the  coins  before  the  captivity.  But  the  approximate  value  of 
the  shekel  was  2s.  3d.  (xxi.  32).  The  shekel  of  the  sanctuary 
may  be  one  of  full  weight  in  contrast  with  that  of  commerce, 
which  may  have  been  of  less  weight.  We  have  here  the  fol- 
io win  cj  table  of  coins  or  weights  : 

Gerah  or  hean. 
I        Beka  (Gen  xxi  v.  2  2),  or  half  shekel,    =    10  gerahs. 
Shekel,  or  weight,  =    20  gerahs. 

Every  one  from  20  years  old  and  upwards  passed  among 
the  numbered  or  registered  host,  and  paid  the  half  shekel. 
The  rich  and  the  poor  give  alike,  because  their  souls  are  of 
equal  value,  and  the  beka  is  the  money  of  atonement  for 
each.  The  offering  is  to  be  for  the  service  of  the  tent  of 
meeting  (xxxviii.  27-31). 

v.  17-21.  The  laver  was  to  be  made  of  brass,  and  its  stand 
of  the  same  material  (xxxviii.  8).  Its  place  was  between 
the  altar  and  the  door  of  the  tabernacle.  If  the  interval  be- 
tween the  door  of  the  tabernacle  and  the  gate  of  the  court 
(see  on  xxvii.  19)  were  50  cubits,  or  75  feet,  the  altar  and 
the  laver  may  have  divided  this  into  three  equal  spaces  of  25 
feet.  The  Talmud  supposes  the  laver  to  have  been  placed  a 
little  south  of  the  middle  line  of  the  court.  This  will  depend 
very  much  on  the  degree  of  importance  attached  to  the  laver. 
If  it  be  merely  a  means  of  cleanliness,  it  may  be  set  aside. 
But  if  its  use  be  a  symbol  of  sanctification,  it  will  stand  in 
the  same  line  with  the  altar.  Its  purpose  is  washing,  that 
Aaron  and  his  sons  may  wash  thereout  their  hands  and  their 
feet.  The  phrase  thereout  indicates  that  water  was  taken  out 
of  the  laver  into  a  smaller  vessel  for  washing.  The  washing 
itself  indicates  that  the  priests  were  unclean  not  only  by 
mingling  with  the  people,  but  by  their  own  inherent  sinful- 
ness. The  feet  and  hands  with  which  they  go  and  minister 
are  to  be  cleansed,  lest  they  die.  Death  is  the  penalty  of  sin, 
and  therefore  this  outward  cleansing  is  an  emblem  of  that  in- 
ward purity  which  must  characterize   him  who   is  to  make 


EXODUS  XXX.  17-21.  321 

atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  people.  This  cleansinj:^  is  a 
perpetual  statute.  This  is  in  keeping  with  its  intrinsic  im- 
portance as  the  symbol  of  sanctification. 

V.  22-33.  The  holy  anointing  oil.  This  is  to  be  composed 
of  five  ingredients:  500  shekels  of  pure  myrrh,  250  of  sweet 
cinnamon,  250  of  sweet  calamus,  and  500  of  cassia,  and  a  hin, 
about  3  (quarts,  of  olive  oil.  It  is  said  to  be  compounded  after 
the  art  of  the  perfumer.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  as  the 
Rabbins  suppose,  that  the  three  spices  were  soaked  in  water, 
and  boiled,  and  their  essence  extracted  and  mingled  with  the 
myrrh  and  oil.  v.  26-30.  With  the  anointing  oil  are  to  be 
anointed  the  tent  of  meeting,  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  the 
table,  the  candlestick,  and  the  altar  of  incense,  the  altar  of 
burnt-offering,  the  laver,  and  all  their  appurtenances.  Being 
thus  anointed,  they  are  hallowed,  and  are  accounted  most 
holy  (v.  10).  Aaron  and  his  sons  are  to  be  anointed  and 
consecrated  to  their  priestly  office,  v.  31-33,  This  is  to  be  a 
standing  oil  for  anointing,  not  to  be  used  for  common  purposes, 
not  to  be  imitated  in  ordinary  compounds,  on  pain  of  excom- 
munication (Gen.  xvii.  14).  The  anointing  oil  is  an  impres- 
sive symbol  of  sanctifying  grace.  It  is  analogous  to  the  water 
of  the  laver,  which  cleanses.  The  latter  points  to  the  quality 
required  ;  the  former  to  the  end  contemplated.  That  which 
is  dedicated  to  God  must  be  cleansed  from  stain. 

v.  34-38.  The  incense.  This  also  contains  five  simples. 
Stacte,  onycha,  galbanum,  frankincense,  and  salt.  Stacte  is 
the  natural  dropping  of  some  sweet-scented  plant,  probably 
the  storax.  Onycha  is  probably  the  operculum,  claw  or  lid  of 
the  shell  of  a  strombus,  or  other  fish,  emitting  a  scent, 
which,  if  not  agreeable  in  itself,  enhances  the  sweet  odour  of 
the  other  ingredients  combined  with  it.  Galbanum  is  the 
gum  of  a  species  of  ferula  {/xiru'riov  Dioscor.)  or  stagonite  (Pliny), 
of  a  sharp  bitter  taste,  fitted  to  add  to  the  strength  and  dura- 
tion of  the  other  components.  Frankincense  is  the  odori- 
ferous resin  of  a  plant  that  grew  in  Arabia  Felix,  and  India, 
which  was  frequently  used  in  religious  oft'ering.s.  Pure,  free 
from  adultciation.  Fart  by  part  shall  there  he,  each  prepared 
apart  from  the  others,  or  an  equal  part  of  each  shall  enter  into 
the  compound,  v.  35.  An iiiceoise  for  burning  on  the  golden 
altar.      A    iierfume  diffusing  an    agreeable    fragrance.      Tlie 

X 


322  THE  MASTER  OF  THE  WORK. 

woo'k  of  the  perfumer,  prepared  according  to  the  rules  of  a 
well-known  art.  Salted,  as  every  meat-offering  was.  Salt  is 
the  emblem  of  incorruptibility.  Pure,  free  from  foreign  ad- 
mixture. Holy,  dedicated  to  the  holy  use  for  which  its  purity 
fits  it.  V.  36.  Beat  of  it  fine,  reduce  it  to  a  powder,  that  it 
may  burn  freely.  A  nd  put  of  it  before  the  testimony,  on  the 
altar  of  incense,  which  stood  close  to  the  veil  that  separated 
the  holy  from  the  most  holy  place,  containing  the  ark  of  the 
testimony.  In  the  tent  of  meeting,  tuhere  I  will  meet  with 
thee.  Where  the  Lord  meets  with  the  representative  of  the 
people,  there  is  the  place  of  conference,  and  tlierefore  of 
prayer,  adoration,  confession,  and  inquiry  on  the  one  hand  ; 
and  on  the  other  hand  of  hearing,  granting,  accepting,  and 
answering.  Incense  is  accordingly  the  emblem  of  prayer  and 
praise,  v.  37,  38.  This  incense  is  not  to  be  applied  to  any 
ordinary  use,  or  imitated,  on  pain  of  excision. 


CHAP.   XXXI. THE  MASTER  OF  THE  WORK. 

1.    Pxpva    Betsalel.      This    is    usually    explained,    in    the 
shadow  of  God. 

^i>'  Uri,  light. 
6.    :i5<'^nx  Oholiab,  tent-father. 

'=19?''0^  Achisamak,  help-brother. 
10.  "i^ip    separation,    distinction,    official    distinction,     r. 
separate,  escape,  remain. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  2  See,  I  have  called  by 
name  Bezalel,  son  of  Uri,  son  of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  :  3  And 
filled  him  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  iu  wisdom,  and  in  understanding, 
and  in  knowledge,  and  in  all  workmanship,  4  To  devise  designs ;  to 
work  in  gold,  in  silver,  and  in  brass.  5  And  in  cutting  of  stones  for 
setting,  and  in  carving  of  wood,  to  work  in  all  workmanship.  6  And 
I,  behold,  I  have  given  unto  him  Aholiab,  son  of  Ahisamak,  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan  ;  and  in  the  heart  of  every  wise-hearted  one  I  have  put 
wisdom  ;  and  they  shall  make  all  that  I  have  commanded  thee  :  7 
The  tent  of  meeting,  and  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  and  the  mercy-seat 
that  is  thereupon,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  tent,  8  And  the  table  and 
its  vessels,  and  the  pure  candlestick  and  all  its  vessels,  and  the  altar 


EXODUS  XXXI.  323 

of  incfinse,  9  And  tho  altar  of  Inirnt-ofrorinj^  and  all  its  vessels,  and 
the  laver  and  its  stand,  10  And  tlio  garments  of  ollice,  and  the  holy 
garments  for  Aaron  the  priest,  and  the  garments  of  his  sons  to  servo 
as  priests  :  11  And  the  anointing  oil,  and  the  sweet  incense  for  tho 
lioly  place :  according  to  all  that  I  have  commanded  thee  shall  they 
do.  Tl    47. 

12  And  the  Loud  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  13  And  thou  speak 
\into  the  sons  of  Israel,  saying,  Verily  my  Sabbaths  ye  shall  keep ;  for 
it  is  a  sign  between  me  and  you  for  your  generations  to  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  that  halloweth  you.  14  And  ye  shall  keep  the  Sabliath, 
for  it  is  holy  unto  you  :  he  that  defileth  it  shall  surely  be  put  to  death; 
for  whosoever  doeth  any  work  therein,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from 
among  his  people.  15  Six  days  shall  Avork  be  done;  and  in  the 
seventh  is  a  Sabbath  of  rest,  holy  to  the  Lord  :  whosoever  doeth  any 
work  on  the  Sabbath  day  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.  IG  And  the 
sons  of  Israel  shall  keep  the  Sabbath,  to  observe  the  Sabbath  in  their 
generations  for  a  perpetual  covenant.  17  It  is  a  sign  between  me  and 
the  sons  of  Israel  for  ever  :  for  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and 
earth,  and  on  the  seventh  day  he  rested  and  was  refreshed.      §  74. 

18  And  he  gave  unto  Moses,  when  he  made  an  end  of  speaking 
with  him  upon  mount  Sinai,  the  two  tables  of  testimony,  tables  of 
stone,  written  with  the  linger  of  God. 

The  seventh  chapter  completes  the  specifications  by  naming 
the  chief  workman  with  his  second,  and  assigning  to  him  the 
execution  of  all  the  works.  This  is  followed  by  an  injunction 
concerning  the  Sabbath  :  and  then  the  scene  is  closed  by- 
handing  over  to  Moses  the  two  tables  of  the  law  written  with 
the  finger  of  God. 

V.  1  •  1 1 .  The  calling  of  BezaleL  /  have  called  hy  name, 
appointed  to  ofiice  by  naming  the  man.  BezaleL  The  order 
of  descent  is  Judah,  Parez,  Hezron,  Kaleb,  Hur,  Uri,  Bcznlel. 
(1  Chr.  ii.  1-20).  Hence  Bezalel  belongs  to  the  seventh  geueni- 
tion  after  Jacob,  and  it  is  evident  that  he  was  now  at  man's 
estate  and  may  liave  been  the  fatlier  of  a  family.  For  Kalob, 
his  great  grandfather,  is  at  least  three  generations  before  Kak-b 
the  son  of  Jephunneh,  the  companion  of  Joshna,  and  probably 
of  the  same  generation  with  Bezalel.  Hur,  the  son  of  Kaleb, 
belongs  to  the  fourth  generation  from  Judah,  and  is  therefore 
parallel  with  Moses  and  Aaron  who  are  in  the  third  from  Levi. 
V.  3.  Filled  him  with  the  Spirit  of  God.     His  natural  powers 


324<  THE  SABBATH  ENFORCED. 

are  hereby  exalted  for  the  works  he  has  to  perform.  Wisdom 
to  devise,  understanding  to  apprehend,  knoiuledge  to  explain, 
and  workmanship  to  make  expert,  v.  4,  5.  To  devise  designs, 
from  a  mere  verbal  explanation.  To  ivork  in  the  various 
materials  employed  in  the  tabernacle,  v.  6.  A  companion  and 
deputy  is  provided  in  Aholiab  of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  whose 
qualifications  are  described  in  xxxviii.  23.  And  all  the  wise- 
hearted  men  are  required  to  take  part  in  the  work.  v.  7-11. 
The  various  works  to  be  executed  are  now  enumerated,  v.  1  0, 
And  the  garments  of  office.  The  phrase  thus  rendered  occui-s 
only  in  three  other  places  (xxxv.  19,  xxxix.  1,  41),  in  two  of 
which  it  is  followed  by  the  words,  "  to  minister  in  the  sanc- 
tuary." It  appears  to  denote,  not  the  cloths  for  covering  the 
furniture  (Num.  iv.  6-1 4),  as  they  were  not  strictly  for  minis- 
tering in  the  sanctuary,  nor  the  inner  curtains  of  the  sanctuary, 
as  they  are  previously  mentioned  in  xxxix.  40,  but  the 
special  parts  of  official  array  worn  by  the  high  priest  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  the  others. 

V.  12-17.  The  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  is  here  reinforced, 
because  it  might  be  supposed  that  so  holy  a  work  as  the  con- 
struction of  the  tabernacle  might  supersede  the  weekly  rest. 
Verily  my  Sabbaths  ye  shall  keep.  They  are  by  no  means  to 
be  remitted  even  on  this  extraordinary  occasion.  It  is  a  sign 
betiveen  me  and  you.  As  the  Sabbath  was  a  Divine  institu- 
tion commemorative  of  that  creation  in  which  the  progenitor 
of  the  human  race  came  into  being,  the  observance  of  it  by  any 
remnant  of  the  human  family  was  a  token  that  amidst  the 
general  apostasy  they  had  retained  or  returned  to  their  allegi- 
ance to  the  God  of  their  being.  For  your  generations.  The 
commemorative  rest  is  to  continue  as  long  as  the  intelligent 
race  whose  origin  it  celebrates.  To  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
that  halloweth  you.  The  people  called  to  his  favour  and 
hallowed  to  his  service  know  themselves  and  are  known  by 
others  to  be  his  by  the  Sabbath  which  they  receive,  under- 
stand, and  sacredly  observe,  v.  14,  15.  The  civil  penalty  of 
death,  as  well  as  the  hierarchical  one  of  excision  from  the 
people  of  God,  is  attached  to  its  desecration,  v.  1 6,  1  7.  The 
perpetuity  of  its  obligation,  and  the  significance  of  its  obser- 
vance are  then  reiterated.  In  referring  to  its  origin  the  sacred 
historian  employs  the  remarkable  expression,  "  on  the  seventh 


EXODUS  XXXI.  18.  325 

clay  he  rested  and  was  refreshed."     The  "refreshment"  must 
be  understood  in  a  sense  w.nthy  of  him  who  "  famtctli   not 
neither  is  weary."      It  incUides  at  all  events  the  pure  deli-ht 
arising  from  the  consciousness  of  a  design  accomplished,  and 
from  The  contemplation  of  the  intrinsic  excellence  of  the  work. 
V.  1 8.   At  the  end  of  the  connnunication  made  to  Moses, 
the  two  tables  of  stone  on  which  were  written  the  ten  com- 
mandments by  the  finger  of  God.     To  receive  these  he  was 
summoned  to  appear  before  the  Lord  on  the  mount  (xxiv.  12). 
The  tu'O  tables  were,  when  placed  side  by  side,  somewhat  less 
tlian  two  and  a  half  cubits  by  one  and  a  half,  if  they  were  to 
lie  beside  each  other  on  the  bottom  (^f  the  ark  (xxv.  1 0).     If 
they  were  each  a  cubit  square  they  might  easily  contain  on 
the  four  surfaces  which  they  present,  the  G20  letters  contained 
in  the  Decalogue,  and  could  be  readily  carried  by  Moses.      Of 
testimony.     The  ten  words  contain  the  testimony  of  the  Lord 
rco-ardinc^  the  relation  of  the  people  to  Him  and  their  consc- 
quljut  obligations  (xxv.  1  G).      Tables  of  stone.     Stone  was  the 
native   material   for  a  monumental    inscription.      It   %\as    m 
constant  use  for  the  purpose  among  the  ancients.      Written 
with  the  finger  of  God.     As  these  ten  words  were  proclamied 
by  the  voice,  so  they  are  here  said  to  be  written  by  the  finger 
of  God.     But  as  they  heard  on  that  dread  occasion  "  the  voice 
of  words,  but  saw  no  similitude,"  so  the  engraving  on  stone 
implies  no  visible  finger  of  God,  but  only  the  putting  forth 
of  His  power  for  the  production  of  an  authentic  and   perma- 
nent copy  of  the  moral  law. 


XIV.    THE  rraST  BREACH  OF  THE  COVENANT. XXXII.-XXXIV. 

CHAP.  XXXII.    THE  ACT  OF  APOSTASY. 

And  the  people  saw  that  Moses  delayed  to  come  down  out  of  the 
mount,  and  the  people  gathered  unto  Aaron  and  said  unto  hun,  Up, 
make  us  gods,  who  shall  go  before  us :  for  this  Mosos,  the  man  that 
brou<'ht  us  up  out  of  the  laud  of  ^li/.raim,  we  know  not  what  is  be- 
come of  him.  2  And  Aaron  said  unto  them,  Thick  oif  the  gold  rings 
which  are  in  the  ears  of  your  wives,  your  sons  an<l  your  daughters,  and 
bnn<r  them  unto  me.     3  And  all  the  people  plucked  off  the  gold  rings 


326  THE  ACT  OF  APOSTASY. 

■which  were  in  their  ears,  and  brought  them  unto  Aaron.  4  And  he 
took  them  from  their  hand  and  formed  it  with  a  graving  tool,  and 
made  it  a  molten  calf :  and  they  said,  These  be  thy  gods,  0  Israel,  who 
brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  5  And  Aaron  saw  it, 
and  built  an  altar  before  it :  and  Aaron  proclaimed  and  said,  A  feast 
to  the  Lord  to-morrow.  6  And  they  arose  early  on  the  morrow,  and 
offered  burnt- offerings  and  brought  peace-offerings  :  and  the  people 
sat  doAvn  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play.  ^  48. 

7  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  Go,  get  thee  down  ;  for  thy 
people,  which  thou  broughtest  out  of  tlie  land  of  Mizraim  have  done 
corruptly.  8  They  have  turned  aside  quickly  out  of  the  way  which  I 
commanded  them  :  they  have  made  them  a  molten  calf  and  bowed 
down  to  it  and  sacrificed  unto  it  and  said.  These  be  thy  gods,  0  Israel, 
who  have  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  9  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  I  have  seen  this  people,  and,  behold,  it  is  a  stiff- 
necked  people.  10  And  now  let  me  alone,  and  my  wrath  shall  wax 
hot  against  them  and  I  will  consume  them  ;  and  I  will  make  of  thee 
a  great  nation.  1 1  And  Moses  besought  the  Lord  his  God,  and  said. 
Why,  0  Lord,  doth  thy  wrath  wax  hot  against  thy  people,  which  thou 
hast  brought  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim  with  great  power  and  with  a 
mighty  hand  ?  12  Why  should  Mizraim  speak,  saying.  For  evil  he 
has  brought  them  out,  to  slay  them  in  the  mountains,  and  to  consume 
them  from  the  face  of  the  ground  1  Turn  from  thy  hot  wrath  and  relent 
from  the  evil  against  thy  people.  13  Eemember  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Israel,  thy  servants,  to  whom  thou  swarest  by  thyself,  and  spakest 
unto  them,  I  Avill  multiply  your  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven ;  and  all 
this  land  of  which  I  have  spoken  will  I  give  unto  your  seed,  and  they 
shall  inherit  it  for  ever.  14  And  the  Lord  relented  from  the  evil 
which  he  had  said  he  would  do  unto  his  people.  ^  49. 

15  And  Moses  turned  and  went  down  from  the  mount,  and  the  two 
tables  of  the  testimony  in  his  hand  :  the  tables  were  written  on  both 
their  sides;  on  this  side  and  on  that  were  they  written.  16  And  the 
tables  were  the  work  of  God  ;  and  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God, 
graven  on  the  tables.  17  And  Joshua  heard  the  voice  of  the  people 
as  they  shouted ;  and  he  said  unto  Moses,  The  voice  of  war  is  in  the 
camp.  18  And  he  said,  It  is  not  the  voice  of  the  cry  for  mastery,  nor 
the  voice  of  the  cry  for  weakness  ;  the  voice  of  them  that  sing  do  I 
hear.  19  And  it  came  to  pass  when  he  came  nigh  unto  the  camp, 
then  he  saw  the  calf  and  the  dances,  and  INIoses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and 
he  cast  the  tables  out  of  his  hands,  and  brake  them  beneath  the  mount. 
20  And  he  took  the  calf  Avhich  they  had  made,  and  burned  it  in  the 
fire,  and  ground  it  to  powder,  and  strawed  it  upon  the  water,  and  made 
the  sons  of  Israel  drink  of  it.     21  And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  What 


EXODUS  XXXII.  327 

liath  this  people  done  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  brought  a  great  sia 
upon  them.  22  And  Aaron  said,  Let  not  my  lord's  anj::;or  wax  hot; 
thou  knowost  the  people,  that  tlicy  are  set  on  evil.  23  And  they  said 
unto  me,  Make  us  gods,  who  shall  go  before  us  ;  for  this  Moses,  the 
uian  that  brouglit  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim,  we  know  not 
what  is  become  of  him.  24  And  I  said  unto  them,  Whosoever  hath 
gold,  pluck  it  off;  and  they  gave  it  me  :  and  I  cast  it  into  the  fire,  and 
this  calf  came  out.  25  And  Moses  saw  the  people  that  they  were 
broken  loose,  for  Aaron  had  cast  them  loose  for  a  hissing  among  their 
adversaries.  2G  And  Moses  stood  in  the  gate  of  the  camp,  and  said, 
^Vhoevt'r  is  for  the  Lord,  come  unto  me  ;  and  all  the  sons  of  Levi 
gathered  unto  him.  27  And  he  said  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Loud 
God  of  Israel,  Put  every  man  his  sword  on  his  thigh,  pass  and  re- 
turn from  gate  to  gate  in  the  camp,  and  slay  every  man  his  brother, 
and  every  man  his  friend,  and  every  man  his  neighbour.  28  And  the 
sons  of  Levi  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses  :  and  there  fell  of  tho 
people  that  day  about  three  thousand  men.  29  And  Moses  said.  Fill 
your  band  to-day  unto  the  Lord,  that  every  man  may  be  upon  his  son 
and  u[)on  his  brother,  and  he  may  bestow  upon  you  to-day  a  blessing. 
30  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses  said  unto  tlio 
people.  Ye  have  sinned  a  great  sin  :  and  now  I  will  go  to  the  Lord  ; 
mayaap  I  shall  make  an  atonement  for  your  sin.  31  And  Moses  re- 
turiied  unto  the  Lord,  and  said.  Ah,  this  people  have  sinned  a  great 
sin,  and  made  them  gods  of  gold.     32  And  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive 

tlieir  sin ;  and  if  not,  blot  me  now  out  of  thy  book  which  thou 

hast  written.  33  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Closes,  Whosoever  hath 
sinned  against  me,  him  will  I  blot  out  of  my  book.  34  And  now  go 
lead  the  people  to  the  place  of  which  I  have  spoken  unto  thee  ;  behold 
my  angel  shall  go  before  thee  :  and  in  the  day  of  my  visitation,  I  will 
visit  their  sin  upon  them.  35  And  the  Lord  smote  the  people,  be- 
cause they  made  the  calf  which  Aaron  made.  §  75, 

Moses  had  now  been  forty  days,  or  little  short  of  six  weeks, 
absent  from  the  people.  Tliis  was  to  him  a  period  of  adora- 
tion, enquiry,  and  instruction,  and  to  the  people  of  patience 
and  probation.  The  awful  voice  of  the  Lord  proclaiming  in 
articulate  words  the  ten  commandments  from  the  pillar  of  lire 
on  Mount  Sinai  had  struck  upon  their  ears.  They  had  been 
so  awe-stricken  with  the  scene  that  they  besought  their  leader 
to  hear  himself  the  words  of  the  Lord  and  communicate  them 
to  them,  promising  instant  and  unreserved  obedience.  The 
pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  into  which  Moses  had  been  received 


328  THE  GOLDEN  CALF. 

was  still  conspicuous  on  the  mount.  But  still  they  had  be- 
come familiar  with  the  sublime  spectacle,  and  the  time  of  their 
leader's  absence  seemed  long.  The  general  mass  of  them  at 
length  gives  way  to  impatience,  and  Aaron  himself,  yielding 
to  their  importunity,  makes  them  a  golden  calf  as  a  sensible 
representation  of  the  God  whom  they  still  so  grossly  misap- 
pi-ehended.  This  was  a  direct  violation  of  the  second  precept 
at  least  of  that  decalogue,  which  had  received  their  voluntary 
assent  under  circumstances  of  so  great  solemnity,  though  they 
seem  still  to  have  intended  to  acknowledge  and  adhere  to  the 
Lord  their  God.  This  untoward  event  warns  us  against  the  hasty 
conclusion  that  a  whole  people  bowing  before  God  in  a  moment 
of  intense  feeling  have  there  and  then  passed  from  a  fallen  to  a 
renewed  state,  rendered  a  unanimous  homage  to  the  God  of 
mercy  and  salvation,  learned  the  whole  scheme  of  theological 
truth,  or  acquired  the  habit  of  intelligent  and  uniform  obe- 
dience to  the  law  of  eternal  rectitude.  There  has  been  in  all 
an  incipient  intention  of  allegiance  to  tiie  Lord  of  heaven,  but 
only  in  some  had  this  been  the  outgoing  of  a  renewed  heart, 
and  only  in  a  few  has  it  been  so  strong  as  uniformly  to  resist 
the  wayward  impulses  and  lingering  habits  of  the  old  nature. 
Even  Aaron  is  carried  away  by  the  general  movement.  The 
few  true  hearts  are  weak  and  mute.  This  breach  is  well  cal- 
culated to  impress  us  with  the  fact  that  the  true  Saviour  is 
yet  to  come,  and  that  we  are  still  in  the  time  of  types  and 
shadows. 

v.  1-6.  The  image  worship.  Moses  delayed,  literally,  put  the 
expectants  to  shame  by  his  non-appearance,  a  word  very  expres- 
sive of  the  state  of  mind  into  which  the  people  had  got  towards 
the  end  of  the  forty  days.  Make  us  gods.  The  plural  form  is 
here  carried  in  the  syntax,  and  is  therefore  retained  in  the 
translation,  though  the  one  great  object  of  worship  is  under- 
stood, as  when  we  use  the  phrase,  "  the  powers  above."  The 
idol  which  Aaron  forms  is  accordingly  a  single  figure.  Who 
shall  go  he/ore  us?  This  implies  an  impatience  of  the  unac- 
countable delay,  which  in  their  yet  unsubdued  dispositions 
they  could  not  brook.  They  must  away  to  that  land  of  pro- 
mise which  presented  in  their  imagination  so  bright  a  contrast 
to  the  bleak  and  barren  wilderness  in  which  they  .lay  en- 
camped.     This   Moses,  with   the  wand   and  hand  of  power, 


EXODUS  XXXII.  1-11.  329 

had  heen  to  tlicra  a  tangible  proof  of  the  divine  presence  pre- 
duding  the  necessity  of  a  visible  symbol.  But  they  know  not 
ivhat  is  become  of  him.  He  seems  to  have  deserted  them. 
At  all  events,  lie  has  been  so  long  absent,  that  they  seem  to 
have  lost  confidence  in  him  and  respect  for  him.  v.  2,  3. 
Aaron  demands  of  them,  as  part  of  the  material  for  making 
the  idol,  the  rings  of  gold  which  were  in  their  ears,  apparently 
to  make  them  feel  tlieir  personal  responsibility  for  the  step 
which  they  required  him  to  take.  They  hesitated  not  to 
comply.  V.  4.  He  took  the  gold  trinkets,  foiined  it,  the  idol, 
with  a  gi'aving  tool,  and  made  it  a  molten  calf.  The  sacred 
historian  takes  no  pleasure  in  this  transaction,  and  therefore 
gives  us  only  a  brief  and  general  account  of  it.  It  is  probable 
that  the  idol  was  a  piece  of  wood  carved  into  shape,  and  then 
overlaid  with  the  gold,  which  was  obtained  by  melting  down 
the  ear-rings :  and  so  it  became  a  molten  calf.  The  people 
accept  this  as  the  similitude  of  God,  who  brought  them  out  of 
Egypt.  The  model  after  which  it  was  formed  was  no  doubt 
the  bull  (either  Mnevis  of  Heliopolis,  representing  the  sun,  or 
Apis  of  Memphis,  representing  Osiris),  worshipped,  as  the  peo- 
ple were  well  aware,  by  the  Egyptians,  v.  5,  G.  Aaron,  see- 
ing their  disposition,  proceeds  to  erect  an  altar  and  proclaim  a 
feast  to  the  Lord  on  the  morrow.  The  intention  is  to  worship 
the  Lord,  though  in  an  unworthy  manner.  The  next  day 
finds  them  early  engaged  in  bringing  burnt-offerings  and  peace- 
offerings.  Of  the  latter  it  was  the  custom  to  partake,  and 
after  the  festal  repast  they  rose  up  to  play.  This  phrase 
includes  the  wanton  license  which  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  witness  in  the  abominable  rites  of  the  heathen. 

V.  7-14.  This  religious  revel  had  taken  place  on  the  fortieth 
day  of  Moses'  abode  on  the  mount.  He  had  received  the  two 
tables  from  the  Lord  (xxxi.  18),  and  was  therefore  prepared 
to  descend,  when  he  was  surprised  with  the  order,  "  Go,  get 
thee  down,  for  thy  people,  which  thou  broughtest  out  of  the 
land  of  Mizraim,  have  done  corruptly."  In  the  abhorrence 
which  their  idolatrous  and  licentious  worship  created,  they  are 
called  the  people  of  Moses,  and  their  deliverance  is  ascribed  to 
him.  The  crime  they  had  committed  is  then  briefly  and 
emphatically  described,  v.  9,  10.  After  a  pause,  in  which  he 
has  time  to  recover  somewhat  from  his  consternation  of  mind, 


330        MOSES  INTERCEDES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE. 

the  Lord  calls  upon  Moses,  who  was  no  doubt  preparing  to 
make  supplication  on  their  behalf,  to  let  Him  alone,  that  He 
may  consume  this  stiff-necked  people  in  the  fire  of  His  just 
wrath,  and  make  of  Moses  a  great  nation,  v.  11.  This  strong 
and  natural  expression  of  righteous  indignation  does  not,  how- 
ever, forbid,  but  rather  calls  forth  the  beseeching  expostulation 
of  Moses.  He  urges  three  reasons  why  the  Lord  should 
forego  the  demands  of  justice  in  regard  to  the  people.  First, 
they  were  His  own  people,  whom  He  had  delivered  from 
Egypt  by  great  power;  secondly,  the  glory  of  His  wisdom 
and  goodness  would  be  tarnished  in  Egypt  ;  and  thirdly.  His 
promises  to  their  fathers  would  be  neglected.  Moses  makes, 
and  could  make,  no  appeal  to  any  mitigating  circumstance  in 
the  people  themselves.  He  rises,  therefore,  at  once  above 
all  this  to  the  purpose  of  God  in  bringing  them  out  of  Egypt, 
which  was  not  to  destroy  but  to  save  ;  and  that  not  them- 
selves only,  but  by  them  the  whole  race  ultimately ;  then  to 
the  lesson  which  was  to  be  read  to  Egypt,  and  which  would 
be  unread  if  Israel  were  destroyed ;  and  lastly,  to  the  faith 
which  was  to  be  kept  with  the  fjithers  who  had  received  the 
promises,  v.  ]  4.  At  the  intercession  of  Moses,  the  Lord  re- 
lents. He  by  whom  all  events  are  foreseen,  cannot  be  taken 
by  surprise  or  waver  in  His  purpose.  His  indignation  at 
moral  evil  is  simply  the  burning  feeling  of  its  intrinsic 
demerit,  and  of  the  requital  which  justice  demands.  His  re- 
pentance is  merely  His  relenting  from  the  rigid  enforcement 
of  justice,  in  accordance  with  His  determined  purpose  to  dis- 
pense His  mercy  to  returning  penitents  of  the  tempted  and 
fallen  race  of  man. 

v.  15-29.  After  this  agitating  scene,  Moses  turns  hastily  to 
descend  from  the  mount.  It  is  carefully  noted  that  the  two 
tables  of  the  testimony  were  in  his  hand  ;  their  preciousness 
is  indicated  by  the  words  of  immutable  truth  which  were  in- 
scribed on  both  sides  of  them  ;  their  sacredness  by  the  remem- 
brance, that  both  the  forming  of  the  tables  and  the  writing 
upon  them,  was  the  immediate  work  of  God.  v.  17,  18, 
Joshua  has  been  waiting  for  Moses  apparently  outside  the 
cloud  of  the  divine  presence.  He  is  therefore  ignorant  of 
what  is  going  on  in  the  camp.  He  supposes  it  at  first  to  be 
the  sound  of  war.     After  listening  farther,  Moses  remarks  that 


EXODUS  XXXII.  19-21..  331 

it  is  not  the  cry  of  the  conqueror  or  the  conquered,  but  of 
those  who  fire  making  merry,  v.  19,  20.  The  scene  which 
was  presented  when  they  drew  nigli  to  the  camp  aroused  the 
rejrretful  indication  of  Moses.  He  felt  that  the  solemn  cove- 
nant  with  God  had  been  shamefully  violated.  He  cast  down 
the  tables  containing  the  \u)\y  and  gracious  conditions  of  this 
covenant,  and  broke  them  before  their  eyes  (Deut,  ix.  1 7). 

This  act  expressed  with  a  terrible  distinctness  the  conse- 
quence of  their  infatuated  crime.  He  burned  the  calf,  ground 
it  to  powder,  and  stravved  it  on  the  water,  in  the  brook  from 
which  alone  they  were  suj)plied  with  drink  (Deut.  ii.  21). 
The  stock  of  the  idol,  being  probably  of  wood,  was  burned, 
and  with  the  gold  reduced  to  a  powder.  It  is  not  likely  that 
the  gold  was  calcined  by  a  chemical  process.  The  drinking 
of  the  water  mingled  with  the  ashes  of  their  idol  was  well 
calculated  to  remind  them  both  that  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the 
world,  and  that  they  must  all  reap  the  bitter  fruits  of  their 
common  infatuation,  v.  21-24.  Moses  now  cxi)ostulates  with 
Aaron  for  his  highly  inexcusable  part  in  this  crime.  Whdt 
Jiafh  the  people  done  iinto  ihee?  What  force  had  they  put 
upon  him  ?  What  was  the  necessity  under  which  he  had 
acted  ?  Aaron's  defencre  is  that  the  people  were  set  on  evil, 
and  that  he  yielded  to  their  will.  It  is  plain  that  he  was 
guilty  of  a  weak  and  timid  comj)liance  with  what  he  knew  to 
be  wrong.  And  we  are  informed  elsewhere  that  Moses  made 
special  intercession  for  him  (Deut.  ix.  20).  v.  25-29.  Moses 
now  turns  from  Aaron  to  the  people,  whom  he  perceives  to  be 
cast  loose  from  all  ri^ht  feeling  and  reverence  for  God,  thrown 
into  a  state  of  reckless  disorder  and  helpless  anarchy,  and  ex- 
])osed  as  an  object  of  contempt  to  their  adversaries.  His 
sudden  reappearance  among  them,  his  stern  decisiveness  in. 
marked  contrast  with  the  yielding  feebleness  of  Aaron,  the 
remembrance  of  the  miracles  which  he  was  enabled  to  perfi)rm, 
the  significant  acts  of  breaking  the  tables  of  covenant  and  de- 
stroying the  symbol  of  their  guilt,  had  arrested  their  wild 
carousal  and  paralysed  their  force  of  resistance.  At  this  criti- 
cal moment  he  summons  to  him  all  that  are  on  the  Lord's  side, 
and  commands  them  to  gird  on  the  sword,  and  without  respect 
of  kindred  slay  every  man  that  stands  out  in  his  rebellion. 
The  sons  of  Levi,  moved  among  other  considerations  by  a 


232  MOSES  EESUMES  HIS  INTERCESSION. 

clearer  insight  and  a  deeper  feeling  of  what  is  right,  and  it 
may  be  by  their  relationship  to  Moses,  range  themselves  by 
his  side,  take  the  sword  of  execution,  and  three  thousand  of 
the  people  (doubtless  the  turbulent  and  rebellious)  fall  by  their 
hands,  v.  29.  Fill  your  hand  to-day  unto  the  Lord.  Take 
your  part  in  that  which  is  due  to  the  Lord,  that  every  man 
may  he  upon  or  against  his  nearest  relative  among  the  rebels 
against  the  Most  High.  In  a  moment  of  wide-spread  treason 
against  the  Supreme  Governor,  to  whom  allegiance  has  been 
sworn,  it  behoves  the  few  bold  and  loyal  men  to  strike  promptly 
and  resolutely  for  the  cause  of  truth  and  order.  Such  faith- 
fulness in  the  day  of  treacher}^  wins  the  blessing  from  that 
Sovereign  whom  there  is  no  possibility  of  either  deceiving  or 
resistinof.  It  need  not  seem  stranire  that  the  Levites  met  with 
no  effectual  resistance  in  their  stern  vindication  of  the  law, 
A  great  number  of  the  people  must  have  disapproved,  though 
in  silence,  of  the  idolatrous  proceeding.  Many  more  were 
totally  indifferent,  though  they  suffered  themselves  to  be  led 
by  the  few  turbulent  and  perverse  spirits.  All  these  would 
shrink  away  conscience-stricketi  before  the  eye,  the  hand,  and 
the  word  of  Moses.  Only  a  few  grovelling  souls  that  lusted 
after  the  abominations  of  the  idol- worship  in  Egypt  would  re- 
main to  fall  under  the  swords  of  those,  whose  ancestor  was  so 
prompt  to  avenge  the  adultery  of  Shekem  (Gen,  xxxiv,  25), 

V.  30-85.  Moses  turns  from  the  now  trembling  people  with 
the  promise  that  he  would  intercede  for  them  with  the  Lord. 
It  is  true  that  the  Lord  had  relented  from  his  fierce  wrath. 
But  Moses  had  meanwhile  witnessed  the  deplorable  revolt  of 
the  people.  And  though  instant  perdition  was  stayed,  yet 
he  felt  that  they  were  not  yet  fully  pardoned  or  altogether 
restored  to  favour.  His  mode  of  intercession  is  brief,  but 
forcible.  He  confesses  the  enormity  of  their  sin,  and  then 
says.  And  now,  if  thou  ivilt  forgive  their  sin.  This  is  an 
impassioned  form  of  entreaty.  It  leaves  the  consequence  un- 
uttered  in  the  urgency  and  inexpressible  earnestness  of  de- 
sire. We  may  imagine  the  unspoken  issue  to  be,  that  Moses 
would  count  life  a  blessing.  For  he  immediately  adds,  And 
if  not,  blot  me  now  out  of  thy  hook  ivhich  thou  hast  ivritten. 
He  feels  at  the  moment  that  life  would  be  insupportable,  if 
his  people  were  unforgiven.     The  book  here  spoken  of  is  the 


EXODUS  XXXII.  30-35.  333 

book  of  life.  It  was  even  then  the  custom  of  every  city  in  a 
literary  community  to  keep  a  list  of  the  burges.ses.  The 
Israelites  were  familiar  with  the  custom  of  keepinj^  a  register 
of  families  (Ceu.  v.  1).  The  shoterim  or  "officers"  were  em- 
ployed in  keej)ing  these  and  other  registers  (v.  C).  Hence 
Moses  uses  a  familiar  figure  in  speaking  of  God's  book  (Ps. 
Ixix.  29,  Dan.  xii.  I),  v.  33,  3-i.  The  Lord  directs  Moses  to 
go  and  lead  the  people  to  the  land  of  promise.  He  promises 
that  Ilia  angel  shall  go  before  him.  The  angel  here  spoken  of 
is  that  mediating  angel  of  whom  we  read  in  Gen.  xiv.  7,  and 
Ex.  xxiii.  '20,  who  pos,sesses  the  attributes  and  exercises  the 
prerogatives  of  the  Most  High.  But  at  the  same  time  he 
adds,  In  the  day  of  my  visitation  I  iv'dl  visit  their  sin  ujwn 
them.  The  fulness  of  their  iniqvuty  was  not  yet  come,  though 
it  is  foreseen.  The  intercessor  has  prevailed,  but  he  has  not 
yet  heard  the  sentence  of  full  remission,  v.  35.  No  farther 
account  of  this  plague  or  of  its  nature  is  given.  They  made 
the  calf  which  Aaron  made.  Those  who  cause  a  thing  to  be 
made  are  charfreable  with  the  makinir  of  it. 


(,'HAP.  XXXIII.    THE  INTERCESSION  OF  MOSES. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Mo.ses,  depart  and  go  iip  hence,  thou  and 
the  people  which  thou  hast  brought  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim,  unto 
the  land  whiclx  I  sware  unto  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  saying,  Unto 
thy  seed  will  I  give  it.  2  And  I  will  send  an  angel  before  thee,  and 
I  will  drive  out  the  Kenaanite,  the  Aniorite,  and  the  Hittite,  and  the 
Perizzite,  the  Hivite  and  the  Jebusite  :  3  Unto  a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey ;  for  I  will  not  go  up  in  the  midst  of  thee,  because 
thou  art  a  stiff-necked  people,  lest  I  consume  thee  in  the  way.  4 
And  the  people  heard  this  evil  saying,  and  mourned ;  and  no  man  put 
on  his  bravery.  5  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  say  unto  the  sons 
of  Israel,  Ye  are  a  stiff-necked  people ;  in  one  moment  were  I  to  go 
up  in  the  midst  of  thee  I  should  destroy  thee :  and  now  put  off  thy 
bravery  from  thee,  and  I  shall  know  what  to  do  unto  thee.  G  And 
the  sons  of  Israel  stripped  oft"  their  bravery  afar  from  the  mount 
Horeb. 

7  And  Moses  took  the  tent  and  pitched  it  for  him  without  the 
camp,  afar  oft'  from  the  camp,  anil  calletl  it  the  tent  of  meeting  :  and 
it  came  to  pass  that  every  one  that  sought  the  Lord,  went  out  unto  th- 


334)  THE  INTERCESSION  OF  MOSES. 

tent  of  meeting  which  was  without  the  camjD.  8  And  it  came  to  pass 
that,  when  Moses  went  out  unto  the  tent,  all  the  people  rose  up,  and 
stood  every  man  at  his  tent  door  :  and  they  looked  after  Moses,  until 
he  went  into  the  tent.  9  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Moses  went  into  the 
tent,  the  pillar  of  cloud  came  down  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  tent : 
and  he  spake  with  Moses.  10  And  all  the  people  saw  the  pillar  of 
cloud  stand  at  the  tent  door  :  and  all  the  people  arose  and  bowed  down 
every  man  in  his  tent  door.  1 1  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  face 
to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his  friend  :  and  he  returned  to  the 
camp,  and  his  minister  Joshua,  son  of  Nun,  a  young  man,  moved  not 
out  of  the  tent.  H  50. 

12  And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  Behold,  thou  sayest  unto  me, 
Bring  up  this  people,  and  thou  hast  not  let  me  know  whom  thou  Avilt 
send  with  me  :  and  thou  hast  said,  I  know  thee  by  name,  and  thou 
hast  also  found  grace  in  mine  eyes.  13  And  now,  if  now  I  have  found 
grace  in  thine  eyes,  shew  me  now  thy  way,  and  let  me  know  thee,  that  I 
may  find  grace  in  thine  eyes  :  and  observe  that  this  nation  is  thy  people. 
14  And  he  said.  My  presence  shall  go,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest.  15 
And  he  said  unto  him.  If  thy  presence  go  not,  carry  us.  not  up  hence. 
1 6  And  wherein  shall  it  be  known  indeed  that  I  and  thy  people  have 
found  grace  in  thine  eyes,  if  not  in  thy  going  with  us  1  and  I  and  thy 
people  shall  be  distinguished  from  all  the  people  that  is  upon  the  face 
of  the  ground.  II  51. 

17  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  This  thing  also  that  thou  hast 
spoken  Avill  I  do  ;  for  thou  hast  found  grace  in  mine  eyes  and  I  know 
thee  by  name.  18  And  he  said.  Show  me  now  thy  glory.  19  And 
he  said,  I  will  make  all  my  goodness  to  pass  before  thee,  and  I  will 
proclaim  the  name  of  the  Lord  before  thee  :  and  I  will  be  gracious  to 
whom  I  will  be  gracious,  and  show  mercy  to  whom  I  will  show  mercy. 
20  And  he  said,  Thou  canst  not  see  my  face  ;  for  no  man  shall  see  me 
and  live.  21  And  the  Lord  said,  Lo,  there  is  a  place  by  me,  and 
thou  shalt  stand  upon  the  rock.  22  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  while 
my  glory  passeth  by,  that  I  will  put  thee  in  a  clift  of  the  rock :  and  I 
will  cover  thee  with  my  hand  while  I  pass  by.  23  And  I  will  take 
away  my  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  my  back  ;  but  my  face  shall  not  be 
seen.  »  52. 

Moses  receives  a  commission  to  conduct  the  people  to  the 
land  destined  for  them,  with  the  promise  of  the  divine  aid, 
but  without  the  divine  presence  amidst  them.  He  accordingly 
removes  the  tent  where  the  Lord  met  him  out  of  the  camp. 
He  entreats  the  Lord  to  go  with  him  and  shew  him  his  glory. 


EXODUS  XXIII.  1,  G.  335 

V.  1-G.  The  commission  to  Moses  again  refers  to  tlie  jjeoplc 
"  whom  thou  hast  brought  uj)  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim." 
The   Lord   does  not  yet  choose   to  acknowledge  them  as  his 
own.      They  have  been  separated  by  a  new  tiansgression  and 
they  have  not  yet  returned  with  penitence  or  borne  any  fruit 
meet  for  repentance.      Nevertheless  his  promise  stands  sure. 
He  will  send  his  angel  (xxxii.  S-i)  before  them.      But  he  will 
not  go  in  the  midst  of  them,  as  he  had  been  hitherto  doing 
and  intended  to  do  (xxv.  8),  lest  he  should  consume  them   in 
their  j)erversity.      v.  4-G.  This  unfavourable  message  affects 
the  people  with  sorrow,  and  they  begin  to  lay  aside  all  gaiety 
in  dress.      While  they  are  in  this  state  of  feeling  the  Lord 
sends  a  message  to  them  by  Moses  requiring  them  to  put  off 
their  bravery  of  apparel,  that  he  may  know  what  to  do  with 
them.      This  was  a  strong  affirmation  of  their  perversity.      In 
one  moment  were  I  to  go  -up.      If  I  were  to  go  into  the  midst 
of  thee,  I  must  in  that  moment  consume  thee.      But  there  is 
a  hint  of  mercy  in  the  following  words  sufficient  to  encourage 
them  in   their  incipient  repentance.      Afar  from  the  mount 
Horeh,  retiring  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  to  their  tents. 

v.  7-1 1 .  A  nd  Moses  took  the  tent.  The  tent  here  is  not  the 
sanctuary  or  sacred  tent  of  the  Lord,  which  was  not  yet  con- 
structed, nor  any  temporary  dwelling  of  the  Lord,  as  he  only 
appeared  hitherto  in  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  but  simply 
the  tent  or  pavilion  of  Moses,  in  which  he  officially  abode. 
This  he  now  pitched  outside  the  camp  at  some  distance,  and 
called  it  the  tent  of  meeting,  because,  like  the  tabernacle,  it 
was  the  place  where  God  met  with  him.  The  object  of  this 
removal  was  to  maintain  intercourse  with  the  Lord,  when  he 
would  no  longer  manifest  himself  amidst  the  people  who  had 
broken  the  covenant.  Moses  had  not  transgressed,  and  was 
still  in  fellowship  with  God.  He  will  avail  himself  of  this 
privilege  to  bring  about  a  renewal  of  friendly  relations  between 
God  and  the  people.  The  separation  had  also  the  effect  of 
setting  before  the  eyes  of  the  people  not  only  the  continued 
fellowship  of  Moses  with  God,  but  also  their  own  present 
estrangement  from  him.  And  now  any  one  who  sought  the 
Lord  for  counsel,  judgment  or  aid,  went  out  to  the  tent  of 
meeting,  v.  8.  The  people  stood  up  with  reverent  interest 
to  behold  Moses  going  from  the  camp  to  the  tent  of  meeting 


836  MOSES  REMOVES  THE  TENT  OF  MEETING, 

to  discharge  his  official  functions,  v.  9.  When  Moses  was  in 
the  tent  the  pillar  of  cloud  came  down  and  stood  at  the  tent 
door  to  manifest  in  the  most  solemn  manner  that  God  was 
with  Moses.  The  wondering  people  bowed  down  with  devout 
reverence  when  they  beheld  the  supernatural  signs  of  the 
Divine  presence,  v.  11.  The  Lord  spake  with  Moses  not  by 
a  voice  from  heaven,  but  in  the  pillar  standing  at  his  door, 
face  to  face,  as  a  man  speakeih  with  his  friend.  He  beheld 
not  the  Divine  essence  (v.  20),  but  such  a  vision  of  his  face 
as  is  possible  for  a  man  to  behold  and  live.  When  Moses  was 
absent  from  the  tent,  Joshua  his  minister  took  his  place. 

V.  12-1 6.  The  mind  of  Moses  is  in  a  state  of  anxious  inquiry, 
and  he  now  comes  before  the  Lord  to  have  all  his  pressing- 
perplexities  solved.  Behold.  This  is  a  matter  of  intense 
moment  to  me.  Thou  sayest  unto  7ne,  Bring  up  this  people. 
I  feel  the  weight  of  this  charge  more  than  ever,  in  consequence 
of  this  breach  of  the  newly  made  and  willingly  accepted  cove- 
nant. This  has  interrupted  the  happy  relation  in  which  the 
people  stood  to  thee.  I  do  not  yet  fully  comprehend  the  new 
relation  in  which  they  are  to  stand.  1.  Thou  speakest  of  an 
angel  who  is  to  go  before  us.  And  thou  hast  not  let  me  knoiv 
^vhom  thou  wilt  send  with  me.  Who  is  this  angel  ?  Let  me 
have  some  personal  knowledge  of  him,  that  my  mind  may  be 
at  ease.  Tltou  hast  said,  I  know  thee  by  name  and  thou  hast 
also  found  grace  in  onine  eyes.  Moses  is  personally  known 
to  God  as  one  whom  he  has  accepted  and  appointed  to  be  the 
leader  of  his  people.  He  therefore  humbly  prays  to  be  in- 
formed how  this  angel  stands  to  God  and  to  himself.  Much 
peace  and  comfort  will  result  to  him  from  this  knowledge.  2. 
The  way  in  which  this  people  are  henceforth  to  be  dealt  with 
he  desires  to  understand.  They  have  been  heedless  and  per- 
verse. They  may  be  so  again.  He  wants  to  penetrate  more 
thoroughly  into  the  great  principle  on  which  their  salvation 
rests  with  certainty  amidst  the  uncertainty  of  their  wills. 
Shew  me  thy  luay  of  salvation,  of  deliverance  and  guidance  for 
this  people  to  the  promised  end.  And  let  me  know  thee.  For 
all  is  in  thee,  the  angel  guide,  the  certain  way.  That  I  may 
find  grace  in  thine  eyes,  present,  constant,  everlasting  grace. 
3.  Another  word  of  thine  has  perplexed  me.  Thou  callest  the 
people  mine,  whom  I  have  brought  up.     But  observe  that  this 


EXODUS  xxxiii.  17-23.  337 

nation  is  thy  'people.  That  is  the  plain  undeniable  truth,  far 
transcending  my  merely  ministerial  part  in  their  redemjition. 
I  beseech  thee  to  look  at  this  and  acknowledge  it.  Such  is 
this  ■wondrous  prayer  of  faith  springing  up  from  the  heart  of 
Moses. 

V.  14-lG.  A  single  clear  and  cheerin']'  sentence  encourajres 

o  o  o 

Moses.  My  lyresence  shall  rjo,  I  loill  give  thee  rest.  My  face 
or  presence  is  of  the  same  import  as  myself.  Hence  it  is 
simply  added,  I  will  give  thee  rest.  The  angel  then  is  the 
angel  of  his  presence  (Isa.  Ixiii.  9j,  in  whom  is  his  name  (xxiii. 
20),  that  is,  the  Lord  himself  in  angelic  office  and  presence. 
Moses  seizes  on  the  precious  word.  If  thy  in'cseiice  go  not, 
cavity  us  not  up  hence.  It  is  not  a  mere  angel,  but  Jehovah, 
the  angel  of  the  covenant  (Mai.  iii.  1),  whom  he  desires  to  have 
with  him.  This  is  the  only  incontestable  evidence  that  they 
had  found  favour  with  God.  /  and  thy  people.  He  now 
associates  himself  with  the  people,  and  the  peojJe  with  God. 
The  presence  of  the  Lord  distinguishes  them  from  all  the 
people  on  the  whole  earth. 

V.  17-23.  The  Lord  now  fully  concedes  the  earnest  request 
of  Moses.  He  will  rjo  with  them.  He  acknowled<j:es  them 
to  be  his  people.  The  only  other  thing  that  remained  on  the 
mind  of  Closes  was  the  "  way  "  of  the  Lord  regarding  mercy 
and  truth,  righteousness  and  peace.  To  show  mercy  and  yet 
do  justly  ;  to  magnify  grace  and  holiness  at  the  same  time  ; 
to  bestow  a  per})etuity  of  blessing  on  a  people  wavering  now 
and  again  into  disobedience,  was  a  problem  that  seemed  to 
task  the  highest  intelligence,  to  transcend  the  ordinary  ways 
of  Providence,  ajid  call  into  exercise  some  inner  and  higher 
reaches  of  the  Etern;U  mind.  Moved  by  a  wish  to  do  his  duty 
with  intelligence,  Moses  ardently  desires  some  insight  into 
this  profound  mystery,  and  he  feels  that  it  touches  the  very 
centre  of  the  Divine  nature,  and  involves  the  sublimest  mani- 
festations of  his  glory.  Hence  his  last  and  grandest  jietition. 
Shoiv  me  noiu  thy  glory,  is  the  fitting  close  to  his  ])rcvailing 
intercession.  It  is  also  granted  as  far  ;is  man  is  capable  here 
of  receiving  such  a  boon,  v,  19.  All  my  goodness.  The 
goodness  of  God,  his  moral  character,  is  the  perfection  of  his 
glory.  The  name  of  the  Lord.  The  name  is  the  manifest 
and  revealed  nature.     The  Lord  is  Jehovah,  the  Creator  of 

Y 


338  THE  COVENANT  RENEWED, 

all  tilings,  the  Keeper  of  covenant,  the  Performer  of  promise. 
/  ivill  have  been  gracious  to  whom  I  will  he  grctcious.  Here  is 
discriminating  and  determinate  grace.  It  is  discriminating  ; 
some  are  taken  and  others  left.  It  is  determinate ;  the  chosen 
are  kept  from  the  evil  for  ever.  This  sentence  is  reiterated 
in  other  words.  It  solves  some  of  Moses'  difficulties.  What- 
ever may  befal,  a  remnant  will  be  saved,  v.  20.  Thou  canst 
not  see  my  face.  This  separate  sentence  is  emphatic  and 
essential.  My  face  is  my  direct  immediate  intrinsic  self  The 
essential  power  of  God  is  irresistible  ;  the  essential  wisdom 
inscrutable,  to  the  creature.  The  essential  holiness  of  the 
Almighty  and  All-wise  is  insupportable  to  that  which  is 
tainted  with  guilt.  Hence  man  shall  not  see  him  and  live. 
V.  21-23.  My  hach  is  ray  averted,  mediate,  extrinsic  self, 
visible  to  man  in  my  works,  my  word,  and  my  personal 
manifestations  to  my  people.  The  place  near  the  Lord  where 
Moses  was  to  stand,  the  clift  of  the  rock  in  which  he  was  to 
be  put,  the  hand  which  was  to  cover  him  while  the  Lord  in 
his  glory  passed  by,  and  to  be  taken  away  that  he  might  see 
the  Lord  when  his  face  was  averted,  are  the  simple  elements 
of  a  real  scene,  in  which  the  Lord  conveyed  to  the  sense  and 
the  reason  of  Moses,  the  deep  things  of  his  glorious  grace  in  a 
manner  which  was  exactly  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  the 
inquirer.  Whether  the  clift  of  the  rock  was  the  grotto  under 
the  ruined  mosque  on  the  top  of  Jebel  Musa,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  inquire. 


CHAP.  XXXIV.    THE  COVENANT  RENEWED. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Hew  thee  two  tables  of  stone  like 
the  former  :  and  I  will  write  upon  the  tables  the  words  that  were  on 
tlie  former  tables,  which  thou  brakest.  2  And  be  ready  in  the  morn- 
ing :  and  come  up  in  the  morning  unto  Mount  Sinai,  and  present 
thyself  there  to  me  on  the  top  of  the  mount.  3  And  no  man  shall 
come  up  with  thee,  nor  let  any  man  be  seen  in  all  the  mount :  nor  let 
the  flocks  or  herds  feed  before  this  mount.  4  And  he  hewed  two 
tables  of  stone  lUce  the  former,  and  Moses  rose  up  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  went  up  into  Mount  Sinai,  as  the  Lord  commanded  him  :  and 
he  took  in  his  hand  the  two  tables  of  stone. 

5  And  the  Loud  came  down  in  the  cloud,  and  stood  with  him 


EXODUS  XXXIV.  339 

there  :  ami  he  proclaimed  the  name  of  tlie  Lord.  G  And  the  Lord 
passfid  by  before  his  face,  and  proclaimed,  The  Lord,  the  Lord  God, 
merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering  and  abundant  in  mercy  and  truth : 
7  Ki-eping  mercy  for  tliousands,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression 
and  sin :  and  ho  will  by  no  means  acquit  the  guilty,  visiting 
the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  sons  and  upon  the  sons'  sons,  unto 
the  third  and  to  the  fourth  generation.  And  JMoses  made  haste,  and 
bendeil  towards  the  earth  and  bowed  down.  9  And  he  said,  If  now  I 
have  found  grace  m  thine  eyes,  0  Lord,  let  the  Lord  now  go  in  the 
midst  of  us  :  for  it  is  a  stiff-necked  people,  and  thou  wilt  pardon  our 
iui(piity  and  our  sin,  and  take  us  for  thine  inheritance.  10  And 
he  said,  Lo,  I  make  a  covenant ;  before  all  thy  peojjle  I  will  do 
marvels,  which  have  not  been  enacted  in  all  the  earth  nor  in  all  the 
nations  :  and  all  the  people  among  which  thou  art  shall  see  the  work 
of  tlie  Lord  ;  for  it  is  a  terrible  thing  that  I  will  do  with  tliee. 

11  Ob.serve  thou  that  which  I  command  thee  this  day  :  lo  I  drive 
out  before  thee  the  Amorite  and  the  Kenaanite  and  the  Ilittite  and 
the  Perizzite  and  the  Hivite  and  the  Jebusite.  12  Take  heed  to  thy- 
self, lest  thou  make  a  covenant  with  the  inhabitant  of  the  land  whither 
thou  goest,  lest  it  be  a  snare  in  the  midst  of  theo.  13  For  ye  shall 
destroy  their  altars,  and  break  their  pillars,  and  cut  down  their  statues. 
14  For  thou  shalt  bow  ilown  to  no  other  God  ;  for  the  Lord,  whose 
name  is  Jealous,  is  a  jealous  God.  15  Lest  thou  make  a  covenant 
with  the  inhabitant  of  the  land,  and  they  go  a  whoring  after  their 
gods,  and  sacrifice  unto  their  gods,  and  one  call  thee,  and  thou  eat  of 
his  sacrifice  ;  16  And  thou  take  of  their  daughters  unto  thy  sons,  and 
their  daughters  go  a  whoring  after  their  gods,  and  make  thy  sons  go  a 
whoring  after  their  gods.      17  Molten  gods  thou  shalt  not  make  thee. 

1 8  The  feast  of  unleavened  bread  shalt  thou  keep  :  seven  days  thou 
shalt  eat  unleavened  bread,  as  I  commanded  thee,  in  the  set  time  of 
the  month  Abib  :  for  in  the  month  Abib  thou  earnest  out  of  Mizraim. 

19  All  that  openeth  the  womb  is  mine  ;  and  all  thy  cattle,  the  first- 
ling of  ox  or  sheep,  that  is  a  male.  20  And  the  firstling  of  an  ass 
thou  shalt  redeem  with  a  lamb  ;  and  if  thou  redeem  it  not,  then  shalt 
thou  break  its  neck  :  all  the  first-born  of  thy  sons  thou  shalt  redeem, 
and  none  shall  appear  before  me  empty.  21  Six  days  thou  shalt 
labour,  and  on  the  seventh  day  thou  shalt  rest :  in  plowing  and 
in  reaping  time  thou  shalt  rest.  22  And  thou  shalt  keep  the  feast  of 
weeks,  of  the  first  fruits  of  wheat  harvest,  and  the  feast  of  ingathering 
at  the  turn  of  the  year.  23  Three  times  in  the  year  .'<hall  all  your  males 
appear  before  the  Lord,  the  Lord  God  of  Israel.  24  For  I  will  dispos- 
sess the  nations  before  thee,  and  enlarge  tiiy  border :  and  no  man  shaU. 
desire  thy  land,  "when  thou  goest  up  to  appear  before  the  Lord  thy 


340  THE  NEW  TABLES  HEWN. 

God  three  times  in  the  year.  25  Thou  shalt  not  offer  the  blood 
of  thy  sacrifice  with  leaven  :  and  the  sacrifice  of  the  passover  feast 
shall  not  he  left  unto  the  morning.  26  The  first  of  the  first-fruits  of 
thy  ground  thou  shalt  bring  unto  the  house  of  the  Lord  thy  God  : 
thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk.  §  53. 

27  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Write  thou  these  words  :  for 
after  the  tenor  of  these  words  I  have  made  a  covenant  with  thee  and 
with  Israel.  28  And  he  was  there  with  the  Lord  forty  days  and  forty 
nights  ;  he  ate  not  bread  nor  drank  water  :  and  he  wrote  upon 
the  tables  the  words  of  the  covenant,  the  ten  words. 

29  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Moses  went  down  from  Mount  Sinai, 
that  the  two  tables  of  testimony  were  in  Moses'  hand  when  he  went 
down  from  the  mount ;  and  Moses  knew  not  that  the  skin  of  his  face 
shone  when  he  talked  with  him.  30  And  Aaron  and  all  the  sons  of 
Israel  saw  Moses,  and  lo  the  skin  of  his  face  shone  :  and  they  were 
afraid  to  come  nigh  him.  31  And  Moses  called  them,  and  Aaron  and 
all  the  princes  in  the  assembly  returned  to  him  :  and  Moses  talked 
with  them.  32  And  afterward  all  the  sons  of  Israel  came  nigh  : 
and  he  commanded  them  all  that  the  Lord  had  spoken  with  him  in 
Mount  Sinai.  33  And  Moses  ceased  from  speaking  with  them,  and 
he  put  a  veil  upon  his  face.  34  And  when  Moses  went  in  before  the 
Lord  to  speak  with  him,  he  took  the  veil  off,  until  he  came  out  :  and 
he  came  out  and  spake  unto  the  sons  of  Israel  that  which  he 
was  commanded.  35  And  the  sons  of  Israel  saw  the  face  of  Moses, 
that  the  skin  of  Moses'  face  shone  :  and  Moses  put  the  veil  upon  his 
face  again,  until  he  went  in  to  speak  with  him. 

The  order  is  now  given  to  Moses  to  return  to  the  mount, 
when  the  Lord  proclaims  himself  the  God  of  mercy  and  jus- 
tice, and  renews  the  covenant  with  certain  injunctions  suit- 
able to  the  occasion. 

V.  1-4.  Heiv  thee.  The  former  tables  were  made  by  God 
himself.  As  they  had  been  broken  by  Moses  in  the  outburst 
of  his  righteous  indignation  against  the  idolatry  of  the  people, 
the  Lord  directs  him  to  prepare  a  second  set  of  tables,  on 
which  he  promises  to  write  a  second  copy  of  the  law,  v.  3. 
And  no  man  shall  come  up  ivith  thee.  On  the  former  occa- 
sion the  elders,  with  Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Abihu,  accompanied 
him  a  certain  way  up  the  mount,  and  Joshua,  apparently,  to 
the  edge  of  the  cloud  that  was  on  the  top.  But  no  man  went 
with  him  into  the  cloud,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  lawgiving 


EXODUS  xxxrv.  Sil 

(xix.  J  2),  ncltlier  the  people  nor  the  cattle  were  permitted  to 
appeiir  on  the  mount. 

V.  o-lO.  When  Moses  went  up  with  the  new  tables  the 
Lord  vouchsafes  to  come  down  and  meet  with  him.  In  ful- 
filment of  his  promise  he  proclaims  before  him  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  Tlte  Lord,  the  Creator  and  covenant-keeper.  This 
name  is  here  rendered  emphatic  by  being  rej)cated.  God,  the 
Eternal  and  Almighty.  Then  follow  seven  significant  charac- 
teristics,, three  pairs  referring  to  his  mercy,  and  a  single  one 
afiirming  his  justice.  Merciftd  and  gracious,  disposed  to  re- 
lieve suffering  and  dispense  happiness.  Long  suffer  iiuj  and 
abundant  in  mercy  and  truth,  having  long  patience  and  much 
kindness  and  truthfulness  in  store  for  the  penitent.  The 
former  pair  speaks  of  the  general  tendency,  the  latter  of  the 
long  duration  and  vast  plenitude  of  the  divine  compassion  and 
constancy.  This  serves  to  calm  the  solicitude  of  Moses,  brood- 
ing in  sadness  on  the  recent  perversity  of  the  people.  Keep- 
ing mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  and  transgres- 
sion, a)id  sin.  This  speaks  at  length  not  of  disposition  or  its 
amount,  but  of  the  certain  and  final  application  of  mercy  and 
forgiveness  to  all  generations  of  those  who  seek  it  with  peni- 
tence. Sin  is  moral  aberration  ;  transgression  involves  breach 
of  trust ;  and  iniquity  implies  perversity  of  conduct.  The  last 
appears  the  most  aggravated ;  yet  all  these  forms  of  sin  he 
may  and  will  forgive  the  returning  penitent.  Yet  at  the  same 
time  the  proclamation  runs,  he  tvlll  by  no  means  acquit.  And 
as  a  special  case  of  the  unalterable  principle  of  rectitude,  he 
visits  the  iniquity  of  the  impenitent,  even  though  it  descend 
to  the  son  from  the  father  (xx.  5).  In  the  case  of  those  for- 
given, the  guilt  that  cannot  be  acquitted  falls  on  the  head  of  a 
voluntary  and  accepted  substitute.  The  i)erplexity  of  Moses 
is  now  so  far  solved,  that  he  sees  mercy  secured  and  perpe- 
tuated in  some  to  all  generations,  while  others  will  obstinately 
refuse  it  and  inevitably  perish.  He  can  now  repose  in  tran- 
quil confidence  on  the  purpose  of  him  who  keeps  mercy  for  a 
thousand  generations  of  them  that  love  him  (xx.  G).  This 
purpose  determines  the  perpetuity  of  the  Church  on  earth, 
though  many  from  time  to  time  fall  away.  He  does  not  tell 
us,  he  could  not  convey  in  words,  what  he  saw  when  the 
Lord  passed  by.     But  he  records  for  our  comfort  the  sublime 


342  INSTRUCTIONS  REPEATED. 

proclamation  which  he  heard,  containing  the  substance  of  that 
revelation  which  was  then  made  to  him  of  the  glory  of  God. 
Filled  with  wonder  and  solemn  awe,  he  made  haste,  bent  his 
head  and  bowed  his  body  in  profoundest  reverence. 

V.  9,  10.  Moses  now  repeats  his  already  effectual  interces- 
sion. 0  Lord.  He  addresses  God  now  as  the  moral 
Governor  and  Judge,  to  whom  it  pertains  to  dispense  pardon. 
For  it  is  a  stiff-necked  jpeople.  The  for  here  applies  not  to 
the  first  clause  only,  but  to  the  whole  sentence  following.  It 
is  a  stiff-necked  people  whom  thou  wilt  pardon  and  make 
thine  inheritance.  Therefore  go  with  us.  Our  iniquity  and 
our  sin.  Moses  here  identifies  himself  with  the  people,  and 
entreats  forgiveness  for  the  common  guilt  of  all.  His  con- 
duct in  this  whole  transaction  is  actuated  by  motives  purely 
benign,  v.  10.  The  covenant  is  now  restored.  It  is  to  be 
celebrated  by  marvels  of  unparalleled  power.  Enacted, 
effected  by  no  less  than  creative  power.  The  whole  people 
will  behold  the  work  of  the  Lord,  which  will  be  terrible  in 
its  judgments  upon  the  adversaries. 

V.  11-26.  Here  a  series  of  admonitions  suitable  to  the 
occasion  is  repeated  and  enforced,  v.  11-16.  No  treaty  is  to 
be  made  with  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  land,  as  it  would  in- 
volve a  compliance  or  a  temptation  to  comply  with  their 
idolatrous  customs  (xxiii.  28,  24).  The  list  of  nations  here 
given  differs  from  that  in  iii.  8,  by  giving  the  first  place  to 
the  Amorites,  with  whom  the  people  are  to  come  first  in  con- 
tact (xxiii.  23).  Lest  it  he  a,  snare  in  the  midst  of  thee,  in- 
sinuating a  new  kind  of  apostasy  from  thy  own  God.  Their 
pillars,  the  monumental  stones  connected  with  their  idols. 
Their  statues,  the  wooden  posts  or  rudely  carved  figures  of 
Astarte,  the  female  moon  deity  of  the  Kenaanites.  Whose 
name  is  Jealous.  The  figure  of  marriage,  applied  to  the 
covenant  relation  of  God  and  His  people  (xx.  5),  is  now  carried 
a  step  farther.  The  worship  of  idols  or  false  gods  is  described 
as  fornication  or  adultery,  a  term  peculiarly  appropriate  to 
rites  that  were  grossly  licentious  in  themselves,  as  well  as 
acts  of  high  treason  against  the  only  true  God.  Intermarriage 
with  these  votaries  of  idolatry  and  uncleanness  is  expressly 
forbidden. 

v.  17-26.  Molten  gods  (xx.  28)  are  again  emphatically  pro- 


EXODUS  XXXIV.  27,  28.  313 

hibitofl.  Tlie  feast  of  unleavened  bread  (xii.),  the  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  first-born  (xiii.),  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
(xvi.),  tlie  otlier  annual  festivals  (xxiii.  10-19)  are  then  called 
to  mind,  and  their  observance  reinforced.  As  they  are  con- 
nected with  leading  events  in  the  national  history,  and  are 
eminently  characteristic  of  the  national  worship,  the}-  are 
well  fitted  to  awaken  the  gi-atitude,  and  kcej)  alive  tiic  faith 
of  the  ransomed  people,  v.  24.  A  promise  is  given  that  their 
lands  will  not  be  coveted  or  seized,  when  they  are  gone  to 
appear  at  the  great  festivals  before  the  Lord.  v.  25,  26. 
Certain  minute  but  sijjnificant  directions  are  here  reiterated. 
Leaven,  as  the  emblem  of  moral  corrui)tion,  is  to  be  absent 
from  their  offei'ings.  The  passover  lamb,  as  the  type  of 
atonement,  is  to  be  all  necessary,  as  well  as  all-sufficient  for 
its  immediate  use.  The  firet  of  the  fii-st- fruits  is  to  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  Lord,  as  the  beginning  and  earnest  of  all  that  we 
have.  The  mother's  milk,  that  which  is  given  with  maternal 
kindness  for  nourishment,  is  not  to  be  coldly  turned  into  a 
means  of  destruction.  These  four  secondary  regulations,  con- 
stantly whispering  in  our  ears  that  the  service  of  God  must 
be  sincere,  prompt,  entire,  and  tender,  are  well  calculated  to 
cultivate  in  the  soul  a  growing  abhorrence  of  idolatry,  with 
all  its  inherent  and  attendant  abominations. 

V.  27,  28.  Write  ihoii  these  wwds,  evidently  the  record  of 
this  interview  and  all  that  was  said  on  the  occasion  ;  as  he 
wrote  the  book  of  the  original  covenant  (xxiv.  4-7).  These 
are  to  be  on  record,  as  the  special  conditions  of  the  civil  part 
of  the  covenant.  Foi'ty  days  and  forty  nights.  Tlie  de- 
scendants of  Israel  left  Eg}'pt  on  tlie  fifteenth  of  the  first 
month  (xii.)  On  the  first  of  the  third  month  (xix.  1)  they 
reached  the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  and  probably  on  the  sixth 
the  law  was  proclaimed  on  the  mount.  On  the  seventh  the 
covenant  was  ratified,  and  Moses  and  the  eklers  ascended 
some  part  of  the  mount  (xxiv.  4).  The  seventh  da}'  after, 
apparently,  and  in  that  case  on  the  14th  of  the  third  month, 
Moses  was  called  and  entered  into  the  cloud.  Forty  days 
after,  or  on  the  23d  of  the  fourth  month,  he  descends  to  wit- 
ness the  festival  in  honour  of  the  golden  calf  The  Talmud, 
however,  places  this  act  of  apostasy  on  the  1  7th  of  Tammuz, 
and  therein  agrees  with  many  interpreters,  who  include  the  six 


344)  THE  TEN  WORDS  AGAIN  WRITTEN. 

days  during  which  Moses  waited  before  he  was  summoned  into 
the  cloud  surrounding  the  divine  presence,  in  the  forty  days 
of  his  abode  on  the  mount.  On  the  day  after  (xxxii.  30) 
Moses  makes  intercession  for  the  people,  removes  the  official 
tent  from  the  camp,  and  receives  a  favourable  answer  from 
the  Lord.  The  next  day,  apparently  (xxxiv.  2)  is  the  first  of 
the  second  forty  days  spent  on  the  mount.  Allowing  twenty- 
nine  days  and  thirty  days  for  the  next  two  months,  we  arrive 
at  the  5th  of  the  sixth  month,  as  the  day  on  which  he  may 
have  descended  the  second  time.  Here,  again,  Jewish  tra- 
dition assumes  that  he  ascended  on  the  first  of  the  sixth 
month  and  came  down  on  the  tenth  of  the  seventh,  which  is 
the  day  of  atonement.  But  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  for 
allowing  an  interval  of  at  least  thirty-six  days  to  elapse  be- 
tween the  first  descent  and  the  second  ascent.  Nor  is  there 
anything  suitable  in  the  people  afflicting  their  souls  on  the 
day  of  Moses'  return  from  the  mount ;  and  there  is  certainly 
no  allusion  to  the  day  of  atonement  in  the  narrative.  And 
farther,  only  five  months  and  a  half  are  left  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  tabernacle,  which  was  finished  within  the  first 
year.  Josephus  assigns  seven  months  for  this  undertaking, 
which  is  a  short  enough  period.  If  Moses  came  down  on  the 
fifth  of  the  sixth  month,  we  have  nearly  seven  months,  and  if 
his  descent  was  six  days  earlier,  or  on  the  last  day  of  the 
fifth  month,  we  have  precisely  seven  months  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  tabernacle  and  all  its  appurtenances.  And  he 
wrote.  From  the  first  verse  we  learn  that  it  was  God  him- 
self who  wrote  the  ten  words  on  the  two  tables,  which  Moses 
had  prepared  (Deut.  x.  4). 

v.  29-35.  The  glory  on  the  face  of  Moses.  Hoses  knew  not. 
He  was  not  conscious  of  this  appearance  in  himself,  which  was 
obvious  to  others.  That  the  shin  of  his  face  shone,  sent  forth 
rays  of  light.  The  original  word  signifies  to  spring  forth  as 
horns,  and  hence  the  Vulgate  has  esse  cornutam,  and  the 
painters  have  drawn  Moses  with  horns.  The  Lord  had  passed 
by  him.  He  had  even  stood  with  him  and  talked  ivith  him. 
So  much  of  his  glory  had  shone  upon  the  senses  and  the  face 
of  Moses  as  mortal  man  was  able  to  bear.  v.  30.  This  extra- 
ordinary lustre  struck  Aaron  and  the  people  with  wonder  and 
apprehension.      They  were  afraid  to  come  nigh  him,  as  one 


EXODUS  xxxiv.29-35.  345 

who  still  bore  the  conspicuous  marks  of  his  long  converse  with 
God.  V.  31,  32.  When  he  called  them,  however,  Aaron  and 
the  princes  of  the  assembly  approached,  and  he  conversed  with 
them.  The  people  then  drew  nigh,  and  he  gave  them  in 
command  all  that  the  Lord  had  communicated  to  him.  v.  33- 
35.  When  his  discourse  was  finished  he  iJut  a  veil  on  his  face. 
When  his  public  and  official  part  was  performed,  he  veils  the 
dazzling  lustre  of  his  face,  not  only  in  modest  reserve,  but  also 
for  the  convenience  and  comfort  of  private  intercourse.  When, 
however,  he  went  in  before  the  Lord,  he  withdrew  the  veil 
until  he  had  received  his  commands  and  delivered  them  to  the 
people.  Hence  it  was  his  custom  to  resume  the  veil  until  he 
went  in  to  speak  with  the  Lord.  The  place  of  communication 
was,  we  may  suppose,  the  separate  tent  of  meeting,  until  the 
tabernacle  was  erected.  The  awe-struck  multitude  had  here 
a  conspicuous  sign  before  their  eyes  that  Moses  was  the  verit- 
able servant  of  the  Most  High  God,  the  prime  minister  of  the 
old  covenant.  The  shrinking  of  their  gaze  from  this  bor- 
rowed splendour  demonstrated  to  them  that  they  were  not  yet 
pi'cpared  for  the  higher  manifestations  of  the  divine  glory 
itself  The  veil  on  the  face  of  Moses,  like  the  veil  before  the 
mercy-seat,  taught  them  that  the  present  economy  was  adapted 
to  the  weakness  of  their  spiritual  vision ;  while  so  much  of 
the  brightness  shone  through  as  to  satisfy  their  present  needs 
and  capacities,  and  give  them  a  foreglance  and  earnest  of  what 
awaited  them  in  the  advancing  stages  of  their  spiritual  train- 
ing (2  Cor.  iii.  7-18). 

Thus  ends  this  sudden  outbreak  of  idolatry  and  sad  inter- 
ruption of  spiritual  prosperity  in  a  new  and  unexpected  dis- 
play of  the  divine  mercy  vouchsafed  on  the  intercession  of 
Moses  to  the  chastened  and  repentant  people.  The  breach 
being  healed,  and  the  covenant  restored  with  even  additional 
splendour,  the  construction  of  the  tabernacle  will  now  pro- 
ceed. 


346     PKEPARATIONS  FOR  MAKING  THE  TABERACLE. 

XV.  THE  TABERNACLE  MADE  AND  SET  UP. XXXV.-XL. 

CHAP.  XXXV.  PREPARATIONS  FOR  MAKING  THE  TABERNACLE. 

22.  nn  hooh,  clasp,  ring;  used  for  female  ornament,  and 
for  an  instrument  in  the  nose  of  a  bull  for  controlling  it. 

DTJ  a  nose  or  ear-ring  (Gen.  xxiv.  47  ;  xxxv.  4).  r.  bind 
or  Icice. 

nyatD  a  finger-rm^.     r.  dip. 

TD^3  little  ball,  bead,  necJclace  of  beads. 

And  Moses  gathered  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  said 
unto  them.  These  are  the  words  which  the  Lord  commanded  us  to  do. 
2  Six  days  shall  work  he  done,  and  on  the  seventh  day  shall  he  for 
you  a  holy  Sabbath  of  rest  to  the  Lord  :  whosoever  doeth  work  therein 
shall  die.  3  Ye  shall  not  kindle  a  fire  in  all  your  dwellings  on  the 
Sabbath  day.  ^  54. 

4  And  Moses  spake  unto  all  the  assembly  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  say- 
ing, This  is  the  word  which  the  Lord  hath  commanded,  saying,  5 
Take  from  among  you  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  ;  whosoever  is  willing 
of  heart  shall  bring  it,  an  offering  of  the  Lord  :  gold  and  silver  and 
brass ;  6  And  blue  and  purple  and  crimson  ;  and  fine  linen  and  goats' 
hair ;  7  And  rams'  skins  dyed  red,  and  badgers'  skins ;  and  shittah 
wood  ;  8  And  oil  for  the  light ;  and  spices  for  the  anointing  oil,  and 
for  the  incense  of  perfumes  ;  9  And  onyx  stones  and  stones  for  setting; 
for  the  ephod  and  for  the  breastplate.  10  And  every  one  wise  of 
heart  among  you  shall  come  and  make  all  that  the  Lord  hath  com- 
manded. 1 1  The  tabernacle,  its  tent  and  its  covering ;  its  taches  and 
its  boards,  its  bars,  its  pillars,  and  its  sockets;  12  The  ark  and  its 
staves,  the  mercy-seat,  and  the  vail  of  covering;  13  The  table  and  its 
staves,  and  all  its  vessels,  and  the  shew-bread;  14  And  the  candle- 
stick for  the  light  and  its  vessels  and  its  lamps,  and  the  oil  for  the 
lights  ;  15  And  the  altar  of  incense  and  its  staves,  and  the  anointing 
oil  and  the  incense  of  jDerfumes,  and  the  cover  for  the  door  at  the 
entrance  of  the  tabernacle;  16  The  altar  of  burnt- offering  and  the 
brazen  grate  for  it,  its  staves  and  all  its  vessels ;  the  laver  and  its 
stand  ;  1 7  The  hangings  of  the  court,  its  pillars  and  their  sockets,  and 
the  cover  for  the  door  of  the  court ;  1 8  The  pins  of  the  tabernacle 
and  the  pins  of  the  court  and  their  cords ;    1 9  The  garments  of  office 


EXODUS  XXXV.  317 

to  minister  in  tho  sanctuary,  tlic  holy  garnifnts  for  Aanm  tin-  priest, 
and  tlie  garments  of  his  sons  to  serve  as  priests. 

20  And  all  the  assembly  of  tho  sons  of  Israel  went  forth  from  tho 
prosenco  of  Moses.  21  And  they  came,  every  man  whom  his  lieart 
stirred  up ;  and  every  ono  whom  his  spirit  made  willing  brought  the 
L(.)nD's  offering  for  the  work  of  tho  tent  of  meeting  and  for  all  its  service 
and  for  the  holy  garments.  22  And  they  came  the  men  with  tho 
women  :  all  tlie  willing  of  heart  brought  clasps,  and  ear-rings  and  rings 
and  necklaces,  all  jewels  of  gold  ;  and  every  man  made  a  wave-otlering 
of  gold  unto  the  Lono.  23  And  every  man  with  whom  was  found 
blue  and  purple  and  crimson,  and  fine  linen  and  goats'  hair,  and  rams' 
skins  dyed  red  and  badgers'  skins,  brought  tlicm.  2\  Every  one 
making  an  offering  of  silver  and  brass  brought  the  offering  of  tho  Lord: 
and  every  ono  with  whom  was  found  shittah  wood  for  any  work  of  the 
service  brought  it.  25  And  every  woman  wise  of  heart  span  with  her 
hands  :  and  they  brought  yarn,  blue  and  purple  and  crimson  and  fine 
linen.  26  And  all  the  women  whose  heart  stirred  them  up  with  wis- 
dom span  the  goats'  hair.  27  And  the  rulers  brought  onyx-stones 
and  stones  for  setting  for  the  ephod  and  for  the  breastplate  ;  28  And 
spice  and  oil ;  for  the  light  and  for  the  anointing  oil  and  for  the  in- 
cense of  perfumes.  29  Every  man  and  woman  whose  heart  made  them 
willing  to  bring  for  all  the  Avork  which  the  Lord  commanded  to  do  by 
the  hand  of  Closes,  the  sons  of  Israel  brought  a  free  will-olVering  unto 
the  Lord.  ^  55. 

30  And  Closes  said  unto  tho  sons  of  Israel,  See,  the  Lord  hath 
called  by  name  Bezalel,  son  of  Uri,  son  of  Hur,  of  tho  tribe  of  Judah. 
31  And  filled  him  with  the  spirit  of  God  in  Avisdom,  in  understanding, 
and  in  knowledge  and  in  all  workmanship  ;  32  And  to  devise  designs, 
to  work  in  gold  and  in  silver  and  in  brass  ;  33  And  in  cutting  of  stone 
for  setting  and  in  carving  of  wood,  to  make  every  work  of  design.  34 
And  he  hath  put  it  in  his  heart  to  teach,  both  in  him  and  in  Aholiab, 
son  of  Ahisamak,  of  the  tribe  of  Dan.  35  Them  hath  he  filled  with 
wisdom  of  heart  to  do  all  the  work  of  the  artificer,  and  the  designer, 
and  the  embroiderer  in  blue  and  in  jiurple  and  in  crimson  and  in  fine 
linen,  and  of  the  weaver  ;  Avho  do  every  work  and  devise  designs. 

Of  the  remaining  six  chapters,  the  first  records  the  offerings 
and  other  preparations  for  the  tabernacle ;  the  next  four,  the 
progress  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  work ;  and  the 
last,  the  actual  erection  and  inaumiration  of  the  liouse  of  God. 
There  is  little  to  remark  on  these  chapters,  as  they  are  mainly 
a  detail  of  the  execution  of  that  of  which  the  plan  is  contained 
in  chap,  xxv.-xxxi. 


348  THE  SABBATH  ENFORCED. 

V.  1-3.  A  preliminary  injunction  concerning  the  Sabbath. 
Moses  begins  where  the  directions  concerning  the  sanctuary 
close  (xxxi.  12-17).  The  special  precept  of  this  passage  is, 
"  Ye  shall  not  kindle  a  fire  in  all  your  dwellings  on  the  Sab- 
bath day."  This  precludes  smith- work  and  cooking.  For 
domestic  comfort,  fire  was  not  a  thing  of  necessity  or  mercy 
in  the  peninsula  of  Sinai.  In  colder  regions  it  is  otherwise, 
and  there  the  law  of  necessity  or  mercy  regulates  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath. 

V.  4-19.  The  materials  required  of  the  people,  and  the 
articles  to  be  made  for  the  sanctuary  are  here  specified.  The 
former  are  repeated  from  xxv.  1-7.  v.  10.  The  luise  of  heart 
are  those  who  possess  the  natural  gift  or  the  acquired  training 
for  the  various  mechanical  arts.  v.  11-19.  The  whole  appara- 
tus of  the  sanctuary  is  here  enumerated  firom  the  previous 
directions  (xxv.  3  0).  The  garments  of  ofiice  are  repeated  from 
xxxi.  10. 

v.  20-29.  The  contribution  of  the  people.  The  Lord's  offer- 
ing (nnnn  xxv.  2),  that  which  is  lifted  up  in  token  of  dedica- 
tion to  the  Lord  (xxix,  24, 27).  v.  22.  The  rtian  with  the  rvor)yxn. 
Both  sexes  join  in  this  free-will  offering.  T\i&  jeivels  of  gold 
are  apparently  the  offerings  of  the  women.  Every  man  made 
a  wave-offering.  While  each  female  presented  her  own  gold 
trinket  of  whatever  kind,  the  men  seem  to  have  made  a  joint 
contribution  of  gold.  This  may  account  for  the  phrase  "  made 
a  wave-offering"  (xxix.  24).  v.  25.  Span  with  her  hands. 
This  was  a  feminine  employment.  Blue,  and  purple,  and 
crimson.  This  implies  that  the  dyeing  preceded  the  spinning. 
As  the  fine  linen  is  distinguished  from  the  coloured  stuffs,  it 
is  probable  that  they  were  of  wool  (Num.  xix.  6,  Heb.  ix.  1  9). 
V.  29.  The  sons  of  Israel.  This  verse  proves  that  the  phrase 
may  extend,  when  the  occasion  requires,  to  the  female  as 
well  as  the  male  descendants  of  Israel. 

v.  30-35.  The  calling  of  Bezalel  and  Aholiab  is  announced 
to  the  people  (xxxi.  ]-6). 

CHAP.  XXXVI. THE  TABERNACLE  MADE. 

And  Bezalel  and  Alioliab,  and  every  wise-hearted  man  in  -whom  the 
Lord  put  wisdom  and  understanding  to  know  how  to  do  every  work 


EXODUS  XXXVI.  3  to 

of  the  service  of  the  .sanctuary,  sliull  do  aronrdin;^  tn  all  that  the  Loud 
hatli  comniaiuled.  2  And  Moses  called  Bi'/.ald  and  Aliolia1)an<l  every 
wise-hearted  man,  in  whoso  heart  the  Lord  liad  put  wisdom,  every  one 
whom  his  heart  stirred  up  to  draw  near  to  the  work  to  do  it.  3  And 
they  received  of  Mosos  all  the  oiFcring  which  the  sons  of  Israel  had 
brought  for  the  work  of  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  to  do  it :  and  they 
brought  unto  him  yet  a  free-offering  from  morning  to  morning.  4  Then 
came  all  the  wise  men  that  were  doing  the  work  of  the  sanctuary,  every 
man  from  his  work  which  he  was  doing.  5  And  they  spake  unto 
Mo.ses,  saying,  The  people  are  bringing  much  more  than  enough  for  the 
service  of  the  work,  which  the  Lord  commanded  to  make.  G  And 
Moses  commanded,  and  they  issued  a  proclamation  in  the  camp,  say- 
ing. Let  not  man  or  woman  make  any  more  work  fur  the  offering  of 
the  sanctuary.  And  the  people  were  restrained  from  bringing.  7  And 
their  work  Avas  sufficient  for  all  the  work  to  make  it  and  more.  §  77. 

8  And  all  the  wise  of  heart  among  them  that  were  doing  the  work 
of  the  tabernacle  made  ten  curtains  of  twined  fine  linen,  and  blue,  and 
purple,  and  crimson  :  with  cherubim  of  cunning  work  made  ho  them. 

9  The  length  of  one  curtain  was  eight  and  twenty  cubits,  and  the 
breadth  of  one  curtain  four  cubits  :  the  curtains  had  all  one  measure. 

10  And  he  coupled  five  curtains  one  unto  another ;  and  five  cur- 
tains he  coupled  one  unto  another.  11  And  he  made  loops  of  blue 
on  the  selvedge  of  the  first  curtain  at  the  end  in  the  coupling :  so  he 
made  in  the  selvedge  of  the  last  curtain  in  the  second  coupling.  1 2  Fifty 
loops  made  he  in  the  first  curtain;  and  fifty  loops  made  lie  in  the  edge 
of  the  curtain  that  was  in  the  second  coupling  ;  the  loojis  matching  one 
another.  13  And  he  made  fifty  taches  of  gold,  and  coupled  the  curtains 
one  to  another  with  the  taches ;  and  the  tabernacle  became  one.  IT  56. 

14  And  he  made  curtains  of  goats'  hair  for  a  tent  over  the  taber- 
nacle;  eleven  curtains  made  he  them.  15  The  length  of  one  curtain 
was  thirty  cubits,  and  four  cubits  the  breadth  of  one  curtain ;  the 
eleven  curtains  had  one  measure.  IG  And  he  coupled  five  curtains  by 
themselves,  and  six  curtains  by  themselves.  17  And  he  made  fifty 
loops  on  the  selvedge  of  the  last  curtain  in  the  coupling ;  and  fifty 
loops  made  he  on  the  selvedge  of  the  curtain  in  the  second  coupling. 
18  And  he  made  fifty  taches  of  brass  to  couple  the  tent  that  it  might 
be  one.  19  And  he  made  a  covering  for  the  tent  of  rams'  skins  dyed 
red,  and  a  covering  of  badgers'  .skiais  from  above.  §  78. 

20  And  he  made  boards  for  the  tabernacle  of  shittah  wood  standing 
up.  21  Ten  cubits  was  the  length  of  a  board,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half 
the  lireailth  of  one  board.  22  Two  tenons  were  to  one  board,  set 
alike  one  to  another :  thus  he  made  for  all  the  boards  of  the  tabernacle. 
23  And  he  made  the  boards  for  the  tabernacle,  twenty  boards  on  the 


350  THE  MANSION  MADE. 

south  side  southward.  24  And  forty  sockets  of  silver  made  lie  under  the 
twenty  boards  ;  two  sockets  under  one  board  for  its  two  tenons,  and 
two  sockets  under  another  board  for  its  two  tenons.  25  And  for  the 
other  side  of  the  tabernacle  northwards  he  made  tAventy  boards. 
26  And  their  forty  sockets  of  silver ;  two  sockets  under  one  board, 
and  two  sockets  under  another  board.  27  And  for  the  rear  of  the 
tabernacle  Avestward  he  made  six  boards.  28  And  two  boards  made 
he  for  the  corners  of  the  tabernacle  in  the  rear.  29  And  they  were 
doubled  beneath,  and  together  they  were  complete  at  the  top  for  the 
one  ring ;  thus  he  did  for  the  two  of  them  for  the  two  corners. 
30  And  there  were  eight  boards,  and  their  sockets  of  silver  were  six- 
teen sockets  ;  two  sockets  each  under  the  one  board.  31  And  he  made 
bars  of  shittah  wood,  five  for  the  boards  of  the  one  side  of  the  taber- 
nacle, 32  And  five  bars  for  the  boards  of  the  other  side  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  five  bai's  for  the  boards  of  the  tabernacle  to  the  rear  west- 
ward. 33  And  he  made  the  middle  bar  to  shoot  in  the  middle  of  the 
boards  from  end  to  end.  34  And  he  overlaid  the  boards  with  gold, 
and  made  their  rings  of  gold  to  be  places  for  the  bars ;  and  he  overlaid 
the  bars  with  gold. 

35  And  he  made  the  vail  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson,  and 
twined  fine  linen,  of  cuiming  work  made  he  it  with  cherubim.  36  And 
he  made  for  it  four  pillars  of  shittah,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold,  and 
their  hooks  were  of  gold  :  and  he  cast  for  them  four  sockets  of  silver, 
37.  And  he  made  a  cover  for  the  door  of  the  tent  of  blue,  and  pur- 
ple, and  crimson,  and  twined  fine  linen,  wrought  with  needlework. 
38  And  its  five  pillars  and  their  hooks,  and  he  overlaid  their  chapiters 
and  their  rods  with  gold  ;  and  their  five  sockets  were  of  brass.     11  57. 

The  commencement  of  the  work  and  the  construction  of 
the  tabernacle  are  recorded  in  this  chapter,  which  after  the 
first  section  corresponds  with  chap.  xxvi. 

V.  1-7.  The  materials  for  the  work  handed  over  to  the 
workmen.  And  Bezalel  .  .  .  shall  do  (p^^]).  This  verse 
is  properly  the  close  of  the  address  of  Moses  to  the  people,  and 
should  have  stood  at  the  end  of  the  previous  chapter,  v.  2. 
He  now  addresses  Bezalel,  Aholiab  and  their  men.  v.  3-7. 
The  people  bring  enough  and  more  than  enough  for  the  work, 
until  they  are  required  to  desist.  As  the  spinning  and  weav- 
ing must  have  begun  almost  simultaneously  with  the  labours 
of  the  other  workmen,  they  were  bringing  in  wrought  materials 
for  some  months  after  the  works  began. 


EXODUS  xxvir.  351 

V.  8-38.  The  construction  of  tlio  tuboraaclo  is  hero  minutely 
reported.  The  full  dctuil  into  which  the  sacred  writer  enters 
indicates  the  paramount  importance  attached  to  the  work. 
The  narrative  be<rins  with  the  tabernacle  itself  which  is  the 
lartrcst  piece  of  the  work.  But  we  may  suppose  that  other 
sets  of  workmen  were  engaged  on  the  furniture,  the  court, 
and  the  piiostly  dresses.  It  was  necessary  also  that  the 
tabernacle  should  be  ready  for  the  sacred  utensils  as  soon  as 
they  were  prepared.  The  sections  of  this  chapter  after  the 
first  correspond  nearly  with  those  of  chap,  xxvi. 


CHAP.  XXXVII.    THE  FURNITURE  IN  THE  TABERNACLE. 

And  Bezalel  made  the  ark  of  shittali  wood  ;  two  cubits  and  a  half 
the  length  of  it,  a  cubit  and  a  lialf  the  breadth  of  it,  and  a  cubit  and  a 
half  tlie  lieight  of  it.  2  And  lie  overhiid  it  with  piu-e  gold  within  and 
without ;  and  made  for  it  a  crown  of  gold  round  about.  3  And  he 
cast  for  it  four  rings  of  gold  upon  its  four  feet  :  and  two  rings  were  on 
the  one  side  of  it  and  two  rings  on  tlie  other  side  of  it.  4  And  ho 
made  staves  of  shittah  wood,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold.  5  And  ho 
put  the  staves  in  the  rings  on  the  sides  of  the  ark,  to  bear  the  ark.  G 
And  he  made  a  mercy-seat  of  pure  gold  ;  two  cubits  and  a  half  the 
length  of  it,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  breadth  of  it.  7  And  lie  made 
two  cherubiiu  of  gold  ;  of  beaten  work  made  he  them,  on  the  two  ends 
of  the  mercy-seat.  8  One  cherub  on  the  one  end,  and  another  cherub 
on  the  other  end ;  out  of  the  mercy-.seat  made  he  the  cherubim  on  its 
two  ends.  9  And  the  cherubim  were  spreading  out  two  wings  above, 
covering  the  mercy-seat  with  their  wings,  and  their  faces  each  to  the 
other ;  toward  the  mercy-seat  were  the  faces  of  the  cherubim.   ^58. 

10  And  he  made  the  table  of  shittah  wood  ;  two  cubits  the  length 
of  it,  and  a  cubit  the  l)rea(lth  of  it,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  height 
of  it.  11  And  he  overlaid  it  with  pure  gold,  and  made  for  it  a  crown 
of  gold  round  about.  12  And  he  made  for  it  a  border  of  a  hand 
breadth  round  about,  and  made  a  crown  of  gold  for  the  border  thereof 
round  about.  13  ibid  he  cast  for  it  four  rings  of  gold  ;  and  ])ut  the 
rings  on  tlie  four  corners  of  its  four  feet.  14  Over  against  the  border 
were  the  rings,  the  places  for  the  staves  to  bear  the  table.  15  And 
ho  made  the  staves  of  shittah  wood,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold,  to 
bear  the  table.  IG  And  he  made  the  vessels  which  are  upon  the 
table,  its  dishes,  and  its  bowls,  and  its  llag<jns,  and  its  cups,  to  pour 
out  withal,  of  pure  gold.  ^  59. 


352  THE  COURT  AND  ITS  FURNITURE, 

17  And  he  made  the  candlestick  of  pure  gold  :  of  beaten  work  made 
lie  the  candlestick ;  its  block  and  its  shaft,  its  cups,  its  knops  and  its 
flowers,  were  of  the  same.  18  And  six  branches  coming  out  of  its 
sides  ;  three  branches  of  the  candlestick  out  the  one  side,  and  three 
branches  of  the  candlestick  out  of  the  other  side  :  19  Three  almond- 
shaped  cups  in  one  branch,  a  knop  and  a  flower ;  and  three  almond- 
shaped  cups  in  another  branch,  a  knop  and  a  flower  :  so  for  the  six 
branches  coming  out  of  the  candlestick.  20  And  in  the  candlestick 
were  four  almond-shaped  cups,  its  knops  and  its  flowers.  21  And  a 
knop  under  two  branches  of  the  same,  and  a  knop  under  two  branches 
of  the  same,  and  a  knop  under  two  branches  of  the  same  ;  for  the  six 
branches  coming  out  of  it.  22  Their  knops  and  their  branches  were 
of  the  same  ;  all  of  it  was  one  beaten  piece  of  pure  gold.  23  And  he 
made  its  seven  lamps,  and  its  snuffers  and  its  snuflf-dishes  of  pure  gold. 
24  Of  a  talent  of  pure  gold  made  he  it  and  all  its  vessels.       ^  60. 

25  And  he  made  the  altar  of  incense  of  shittah  wood ;  a  cubit  the 
length  of  it,  and  a  cubit  the  breadth  of  it,  being  square,  and  two  cubits 
the  height  of  it ;  its  horns  were  of  the  same.  26  And  he  overlaid 
it  with  pure  gold,  its  top  and  its  sides  round  about  and  its  horns  ;  and 
he  made  for  it  a  crown  of  gold  round  about.  27  And  two  rings  of 
gold  made  he  for  it  under  the  crown  of  it,  on  the  two  flanks  thereof, 
on  the  two  sides  of  it,  for  places  for  the  staves  to  bear  it  withal.  28 
And  he  made  the  staves  of  shittah  wood,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold. 
20  And  he  made  the  holy  anointing  oil,  and  the  pure  incense  of  per- 
fumes, the  work  of  the  perfumer.  §  79. 

This  chapter  records  the  making  of  the  ark  and  mercy 
seat,  the  table,  the  candlestick,  and  the  altar  of  incense. 
These  are  all  the  internal  furniture  of  the  tabernacle.  It  cor- 
responds to  chap.  XXV.,  wanting  the  first  nine  verses,  and  to  v. 
1-5,  and  22-25  of  chap.  xxx.  The  last  section  is  here 
summed  up  in  a  single  verse. 

V.  3.  And  he  cast  ....  iijwn  its  four  feet.  The 
sense  is  pregnant  here.  It  is  understood  that  the  rings, 
when  cast,  are  put  upon  the  feet  of  the  ark.  So  in 
xxxviii.  5. 


CHAP.  XXXVIII.    THE  COURT  AND  ITS  FURNITURE. 

And  he  made  the  altar  of  burnt-offering  of  shittah  wood;  five  cubits 
the  length  of  it,  and  five  cubits  the  breadth  of  it,  being  square,  and 
three  cubits  the  height  of  it.     2  And  he  made  the  horns  of  it  on  the 


EXODUS  XXXVIII.  353 

fnur  corners  thereof,  the  horns  thereof  of  the  same  :  and  he  overlaid  it 
Avilli  brass.  3  And  he  made  all  the  vessels  of  the  altar,  the  boxes, 
anil  the  shovels,  and  the  basins,  and  the  flesh-hooks,  and  the  fire-pans  • 
all  its  vessels  made  he  of  brass.  4  And  he  made  for  the  altar  a  grate 
of  net-work  of  brass,  under  its  border  beneath  unto  the  half  of  it.  5 
And  he  cast  four  rings  in  the  four  ends  of  the  grate  of  brass,  to  be 
j)laces  for  the  staves.  6  And  he  made  the  staves  of  shittah  wood, 
and  overlaid  them  with  brass.  7  And  he  put  the  staves  in  the  rings 
on  the  sides  of  the  altar  to  bear  it  withal :  hollow,  of  boards  made  ho 
it.  §  80. 

8  And  he  made  the  laver  of  brass,  and  its  stand  of  brass,  of  the 
mirrors  of  the  women  who  attended  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting. 

§81. 

9  And  he  made  the  court;  for  the  south  side,  southward,  the  hang- 
ing of  the  court  of  fine  linen  twined  a  hundred  cubits.  10  Their  pil- 
lars'twenty,  and  their  sockets  of  brass  twenty ;  the  hooks  of  the  pil- 
lars and  their  rods  of  silver.  11  And  for  the  north  side  a  hundred 
cubits,  their  pillars  twenty  and  their  sockets  of  brass  twenty  ;  the 
liooks  of  the  pillars  and  their  rods  of  silver.  12  And  for  the  west 
side  the  hangings  were  fifty  cubits,  their  pillars  ten  and  their  sockets 
ten  ;  the  hooks  of  the  pillars  and  their  rods  of  silver.  13  And  for 
the  east  side,  eastward,  fifty  cubits.  14  The  hangings  fifteen  cubits 
for  the  wing;  their  pillars  three  and  their  sockets  three.  15  And 
for  the  other  wing  on  this  side,  and  on  that  side  of  the  court  gate,  the 
hangings  were  fifteen  cubits ;  their  pillars  three  and  their  sockets 
three.  16  All  the  hangings  of  the  court  round  about  were  of  fine 
linen  twined  17  And  the  sockets  for  the  pillars  were  of  brass,  the 
liooks  of  the  pillars  and  their  rods  of  silver,  and  the  overlaying  of 
their  chapiters  of  silver  :  and  all  the  pillars  of  the  court  were  joined 
with  rods  of  silver.  18  And  the  covering  of  the  court  gate  was 
wrought  with  needlework  of  blue  and  purple  and  crimson  and  fine 
linen  tmued :  and  twenty  cubits  was  the  length,  and  the  height  in 
the  breadth  five  cubits,  matching  the  hangings  of  the  court.  19  And 
their  pillars  lour,  and  their  sockets  of  brass  four  ;  their  hooks  of  silver, 
and  the  overlaying  of  their  chapiters  and  their  rods  of  silver.  20  And 
all  the  pins  for  the  tabernacle  and  for  the  court  round  about  were  of 
brass.  23     §  §  §     82. 

21  These  are  the  accounts  of  the  tabernacle,  the  tabernacle  of  the 
testimony,  that  was  counted  at  the  word  of  Moses,  the  service  of  the 
Levites  by  the  hand  of  Ithamar,  son  of  Aaron  the  priest.  22  And 
Bezalel,  son  of  Uri,  son  of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  made  all  that 
the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  23  And  with  him  Aholiab,  son  of 
Ahisamak,  of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  an  artificer  and  designer,  and  an 

Z 


354  THE  FURNITURE  OF  THE  COURT. 

embroiderer  in  blue  and  in  purple  and  in  crimson  and  in  fine  linen. 

24  All  the  gold  that  was  used  for  the  work  in  all  the  work  of  the 
sanctuary,  even  the  gold  of  the  offering,  was  nine  and  twenty  talents, 
and  seven  hundred  and  thirty  shekels,  by  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary. 

25  And  the  silver  of  those  who  were  numbered  of  the  assembly  was 
a  hundred  talents,  and  a  thousand  and  seven  hundred  and  five  and 
seventy  shekels,  by  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary.  26  A  beka  for  the 
poll,  the  half  shekel  by  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary,  for  every  one 
passing  into  the  numbered  from  twenty  years  old  and  upward,  for  six 
hundred  thousand  and  three  thousand  and  five  hundred  and  fifty.  27 
And  the  hundred  talents  of  silver  went  for  casting  the  sockets  of  the 
sanctuary  and  the  sockets  of  the  vail ;  a  hundred  sockets  for  a  hundred 
talents,  a  talent  for  a  socket.  28  And  of  the  thousand  and  seven 
hundred  and  five  and  seventy  shekels  made  he  hooks  for  the  pillars, 
and  overlaid  their  chapiters,  and  rodded  them.  29  And  the  brass  of 
the  wave-offering  was  seventy  talents  and  two  thousand  and  four  hun- 
dred shekels.  30  And  with  it  he  made  the  sockets  for  the  door  of 
the  tent  of  meeting,  and  the  brazen  altar  and  the  brazen  grate  for  it, 
and  all  the  vessels  of  the  altar ;  31  And  the  sockets  of  the  court 
round  about  and  the  sockets  of  the  court  gate;  and  all  the  pins  of 
the  tabernacle  and  all  the  pins  of  the  court  round  about. 

This  chapter  describes  the  construction  of  the  altar  of  burnt- 
offering,  the  laver  and  the  court  in  which  they  were  placed, 
and  ends  with  an  account  of  the  metals  employed  in  the  work. 

V.  1-20  correspond  with  chap,  xxvii.  1-8,  xxx.  18,  and 
xxvii.  9-18. 

V.  21-31.  This  passage  refers  to  xxx.  11-16,  and  xxvii.  19. 
It  is  an  account  of  the  metals  required  for  the  sanctuary. 
That  luas  counted  refers  directly  to  the  tabernacle,  concerning 
which  the  account  was  kept.  By  the  hand  of  Moses,  at  his 
order.  The  service  of.  This  reckoning  was  the  business  of 
the  Levites  under  the  superintendence  of  Ithamar.  v.  25,  26. 
The  silver'  of  those  that  ivere  numbered,  of  the  assembly.  The 
order  given  in  xxx.  11-16,  including  the  payment  of  a  beka 
for  eveiy  male  fi'om  twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  had  been 
so  far  executed,  probably  on  the  day  of  atonement.  The  sum 
of  the  class  numbered  is  603,550.  This  was  an  important 
part  of  the  service  of  the  Levites  (v.  21).  This  census  was 
completed  by  the  examination  of  the  documents  and  the  draw- 
ing up  of  an  authenticated  register  about  half  a  year  after, 


EXODUS  XXXVIII.  21,  31.  355 

of  which  Avc  liavc  an  account  in  the  first  chapters  of  Numbere. 
V.  27,  -8.  From  these  verses  it  appears  that  a  talent  wjis  ecpial 
to  3000  shekels.  Reckoning  the  shekel  at  220  grains,  we 
find  tliat  the  gold  amounts  to  nearly  3350  pounds  troy 
weight,  the  silver  to  nearly  11,52G  pounds,  and  the  Lrass  to 
nearly  8112  pounds. 

The  Israelites  had  left  Egypt  the  year  in  which  they  made 
this  contribution  for  the  coi»struction  of  the  tabernacle. 
Though  many  of  them  were  employed  in  servile  labours,  yet 
the  people  tus  a  whole  must  have  been  possessed  of  consider- 
able wealth.  To  this  the  Egyptians  made  a  considerable 
accession  at  their  departure.  The  sum  here  contributed  is 
moderate  in  comparison  with  the  enormous  treasures  amassed 
by  the  Assyrians,  the  Babylonians,  the  Arabians,  and  the 
Egyptians  themselves. 


CHAP.  XXXIX. THE  PRIESTLY  GAIUVIENTS. 

And  of  the  blue,  and  the  purple,  and  the  crimson  tliey  made  gar- 
ments of  office  to  minister  in  the  sanctuary  :  and  they  made  the  holy 
garments  for  Aaron,  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  1[  Gl. 

2  And  lie  made  tlie  ephod  of  gold,  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson, 
and  ihio  linen  twined.  3  And  tliey  beat  out  thin  plates  of  gold,  and 
cut  threads  to  work  in  amid  the  Idue,  and  the  purple,  and  the  crim- 
son, and  tlic  fine  linen  twined,  with  cunning  work.  4  Shoulder-straps 
made  they  for  it  joining  it ;  at  the  two  edges  thereof  was  it  joined. 
6  And  the  belt  for  fastening  it,  that  was  upon  it,  was  of  tlie  same, 
according  to  the  work  thereof;  gold,  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson,  and 
fine  linen :  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  83. 

G  And  they  wrought  onyx  stones  enclosed  in  ouches  of  gold,  en- 
graven, like  the  engravings  of  a  signet,  witli  the  names  of  the  sons  of 
Israel.  7  And  he  put  them  on  the  shoulders  of  the  ephod,  to  bo 
stones  of  memorial  for  the  suns  of  Israel,  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses.  ^  G2. 

8  And  he  made  the  breastplate  of  cunning  wmk,  like  the  work  of 
the  ephod  ;  of  gold,  blue,  and  purple,  and  crimson,  and  twined  fine 
linen.  9  It  was  square  ;  double  made  they  the  breastplate  ;  a  span 
its  length,  and  a  span  its  breadth,  being  doubled.  10  And  they  sot 
in  it  four  rows  of  stone,  a  row  of  sardius,  topaz,  and  emerald,  the  first 
row.     1 1  And  the  second  row,  a  carbuncle,  a  sapphire,  and  a  diamond. 


356  THE  PRIESTLY  GARMENTS. 

12  And  the  third  row,  a  ligure,  an  agate,  and  an  amethyst.  13  And 
the  fourth  row,  a  chrysolite,  an  onyx,  and  a  jasper,  inclosed  in  ouches 
of  gold  in  their  settings.  14  And  the  stones  were  engraven  with 
the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  these  are  twelve  according  to  their 
names,  with  the  engravings  of  a  signet,  each  with  its  name  for  the 
twelve  tribes.  1 5  And  they  made  on  the  breastplate  attaching  chains 
of  wreathen  work,  of  pure  gold.  16  And  they  made  two  ouches  of  gold, 
and  two  rings  of  gold,  and  put  the  two  rings  on  the  two  ends  of  the 
breastplate.  17  And  they  put  the  two  cords  of  gold  upon  the  two 
rings  on  the  two  ends  of  the  breastplate.  18  And  the  two  ends  of  the 
two  cords  they  fastened  in  the  two  ouches,  and  put  them  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  ephod  in  front  of  it.  19  And  they  made  two  rings  of  gold, 
and  put  them  on  the  two  ends  of  the  breastplate,  on  the  border  of  it, 
which  was  on  the  farther  side  of  the  ephod  inward.  20  And  they 
made  tAvo  rings  of  gold  and  put  them  on  the  two  shoulder-straps  of  the 
ephod  beneath  in  the  front  of  it,  over  against  the  joining  thereof,  above 
the  belt  of  the  ephod.  21  And  they  bound  the.  breastplate  by  its 
rings  unto  the  rings  of  the  ephod  with  a  lace  of  blue  to  be  upon  the 
belt  of  the  ephod,  that  the  breastplate  be  not  loosed  from  the  ephod ;  as 
the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  ^  63. 

22  And  he  made  the  robe  of  the  ephod  of  woven  work,  all  of  blue. 
23  And  the  hole  of  the  robe  was  in  the  midst  of  it,  as  the  hole  of  a 
habergeon ;  a  binding  was  on  the  hole  of  it  around,  that  it  might  not 
be  rent.  24  And  they  made  upon  the  hem  of  the  robe  pomegranates 
of  blue  and  purple,  and  crimson  twined.  25  And  they  made  bells  of 
pure  gold,  and  put  the  bells  between  the  pomegranates,  upon  the  hem 
of  the  robe  around  between  the  pomegranates.  26  A  bell  and  a 
pomegranate,  a  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  on  the  hem  of  the  robe  around, 
to  minister  therein  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  84. 

27  And  they  made  the  coats  of  fine  linen,  of  woven  work,  for  Aaron 
and  for  his  sons  ;  28  And  the  mitre  of  fine  linen  and  the  goodly 
bonnets  of  fine  linen,  and  the  linen  breeches  of  fine  linen  twined  :  29 
And  the  girdle  of  fine  linen  twined,  and  blue  and  purple  and  crimson, 
of  needle-work ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  85. 

30  And  they  made  the  plate  of  the  holy  crown  of  pure  gold,  and 
wrote  upon  it  a  writing  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet.  Holiness  to 
THE  Lord.  31  And  they  put  upon  it  a  lace  of  blue  to  fasten  it  on  the 
mitre  above  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  86. 

32  Then  was  finished  all  the  service  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  tent 
of  meeting  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel  did  according  to  all  that  the  Lord 
commanded  Moses,  so  did  they.  ^  64. 

33  And  they  brought  the  tabernacle  to  Moses,  the  tent  and  all  its 
vessels  ;  its  taches,  its  boards,  its  bars  and  its  pillars  and  its  sockets  : 


EXODUS  XL.  357 

34  And  tlic  covering  of  rams'  skins  dyed  red,  and  the  coverinj,'  of 
badgers'  skins,  and  the  vail  of  covering  ;  35  The  ark  of  the  testimony 
and  tlie  staves  tliereof  and  tlie  mercy-scat ;  3G  TIk;  table,  all  its  ves- 
sels and  the  shew-bread  ;  37  The  pure  candlestick,  the  lamps  thereof 
the  lamps  of  the  ordering,  and  all  its  vessels,  and  the  oil  for  the  light; 

35  And  the  altar  of  gold,  and  the  anointing  oil,  and  the  incense  of 
perfumes,  and  the  cover  for  the  tent  door  ;  39  The  altar  of  brass,  and 
its  grate  of  brass,  its  staves  and  all  its  vessels,  the  laver  and  its  stand ; 
40  The  hangings  of  the  court,  its  pillars  and  its  sockets,  and  the  cover 
for  the  court  gate,  its  cords  and  its  pins  ;  and  all  the  vessels  of  the 
service  of  tlu;  tabernacle  for  the  tent  of  meeting  :  41  The  garments 
of  office  to  minister  in  the  sanctuary ;  the  holy  garments  for  Aaron  the 
priest,  and  the  garments  of  his  sons  to  serve  as  priests  therein. 
42  According  to  all  that  the  Lord  commanded  Moses,  so  did  the  sons  of 
Israel  all  the  service.  43  And  Moses  saw  all  the  work,  and,  lo,  they 
liad  done  it,  as  the  Lord  had  commanded,  so  had  they  done  :  and 
Moses  blessed  them.  ^  G5. 

This  chapter  contains  the  making  of  the  priestly  attire,  the 
ephod,  the  breast-plate,  the  robe,  tlie  coats,  the  mitre  and  bon- 
net, the  girdle  and  the  plate  of  the  holy  crown  ;  and  the 
presenting  of  the  whole  to  Moses  for  inspection  and  approval. 

V.  l-3i2.  The  articles  of  dress  are  here  no  doubt  arranged 
in  the  order  of  manufacture. 

V.  33-43.  The  finished  articles  are  enumerated  in  detail. 
V.  8G.  And  the  sluiv-hreud.  This  is  included  here  as  an  ac- 
companiment of  the  table  for  which  all  the  requisite  materials 
were  provided,  v.  37.  So  "the  oil  for  the  light"  was  ready. 
V.  38.  Tlie  anointing  oil  and  the  incense  of  perfumes  had  also 
been  compounded  by  the  perfumer,  v.  43.  This  verse  reminds 
us  of  Gen.  i.  31.  And  Moses  blessed  them  in  token  of  his 
approval  of  the  manner  in  which  they  had  executed  the  work. 


CHAP.  XL.    THE  TABERNACLE  SET  UP. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  2  On  the  first  day  of  the 
first  month  shalt  thou  set  up  the  tabernacle  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  3 
And  thou  shalt  put  therein  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  and  cover  the 
ark  with  the  vail.  4  And  thou  shalt  bring  in  the  table  and  arrange  the 
order  thereof;  and  thou  shalt  bring  in  the  candlestick  and  set  up  the 
lamps  thereof.     5  And  thou  shalt  set  the  altar  of  gold  for  incense 


358  THE  TABERNACLE  SET  UP. 

tefore  the  arlc  of  tlie  testimony,  and  put  the  hanging  of  the  door  to  the 
tabernacle.  7  And  thou  shalt  set  the  altar  of  burnt-offering  before  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  7  And  thou  shalt  set  the 
laver  between  the  tent  of  meeting  and  the  altar,  and  put  water  therein. 
8  And  thou  shalt  set  up  the  court  around,  and  put  the  cover  at  the 
court  gate.  9  And  thou  shalt  take  the  anointing  oil,  and  anoint  the 
tabernacle  and  all  that  is  therein :  and  shalt  hallow  it  and  all  its 
vessels,  and  it  shall  be  holy.  10  And  thou  shalt  anoint  the  altar  of 
burnt-oflfering  and  all  its  vessels  ;  and  thou  shalt  hallow  the  altar,  and 
the  altar  shall  be  most  holy.  1 1  And  thou  shalt  anoint  the  laver  and 
its  stand,  and.  hallow  it.  12  And  thou  shalt  bring  Aaron  and  his  sons 
unto  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting,  and  wash  them  with  water.  1 3 
And  thou  shalt  clothe  Aaron  with  the  holy  garments  ;  and  shalt  anoint 
him  and  hallow  him.  and  he  shall  serve  me  as  priest.  14  And  thou 
shalt  bring  his  sons  and  clothe  them  with  coats  ;  15  And  thou  shalt 
anoint  them,  as  thou  didst  anoint  their  father,  and  they  shall  serve  m.e 
as  priests  :  and  their  anointing  shall  be  to  them  a  perpetual  priesthood 
for  their  generations.  16  And  Moses  did  according  to  all  that  the 
Lord  commanded  him,  so  did  he.  §  87 

17  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  first  month  in  the  second  year,  on  the 
first  day  of  the  month,  that  the  tabernacle  was  setup.  18  And  Moses 
set  up  the  tabernacle,  and  fastened  its  sockets,  and  set  on  the  boards 
thereof,  and  put  in  the  bars  thereof,  and  set  up  its  pillars.  19  And 
he  spread  the  tent  over  the  tabernacle,  and  put  the  covering  of  the 
tent  upon  it  above  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.         §  88. 

20  And  he  took  and  put  the  testimony  in  the  ark,  and  set  the  staves 
on  the  ark  ;  and.  put  the  mercy-seat  upon  the  ark  above.  21  And  he 
brought  the  ark  into  the  tabernacle,  and  put  on  the  vail  of  covering 
and  covered  the  ark  of  testimony ;   as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses. 

§89. 

22  And  he  set  the  table  in  the  tent  of  meeting  on  the  side  of  the 
tabernacle  northward,  without  the  vail.  23  And  he  laid  in  order  upon 
it  the  bread  before  the  Lord  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.    §  90. 

24  And  he  set  the  candlestick  in  the  tent  of  meeting  over  against 
the  table,  on  the  side  of  the  tabernacle  southward.  25  And  he  set  up 
the  lamps  before  the  Lord  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.     §  91. 

26  And  he  set  the  altar  of  gold  in  the  tent  of  meeting  -before  the 
vail.  27  And  burnt  on  it  incense  of  perfumes ;  as  the  Lord  com- 
manded Moses.  §  92. 

28  And  he  put  the  cover  of  the  door  on  the  tabernacle.  29  And 
the  altar  of  burnt  ofiering  set  he  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 
tent  of  meeting  ;  and  offered  upon  it  the  burnt-oflfering  and  the  meat- 
oflfering  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  93. 


EXODUS  XL.  1-22.  35 D 

30  And  lie  sot  the  laver  between  the  tent  of  nieotinf,'  and  tlie  altar, 
and  put  water  therein  for  washing.  31  And  Moses  and  Aaron  and 
his  sons  shall  wash  their  hands  and  their  feet  thereout ;  32  When 
they  go  into  the  tent  of  meeting,  and  when  they  draw  near  to  the  altar, 
they  wash  ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  §  Ui. 

33  And  he  set  up  the  court  around  the  tabernacle  and  the  altar ; 
and  put  on  the  cover  of  the  court  gate  :  and  Moses  finished  the 
work.  ^  5G. 

34  And  the  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  meeting  ;  and  the  glory  of 
the  Loud  lilled  the  tabernacle.  35  And  Moses  was  not  able  to  enter 
the  tent  of  meeting,  because  the  cloud  abode  thereon,  and  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle.  36  And  when  the  cloud  was  lifted  up 
from  over  the  tabernacle,  the  sons  of  Israel  set  out  in  all  their  journeys. 
37  And  if  the  cloud  was  not  lifted  up,  then  they  did  not  set  out 
till  the  day  when  it  was  lifted  up.  38  For  the  cloud  of  the  Lord  was 
upon  the  tabernacle  by  day,  and  the  fire  was  on  it  by  night,  in  the 
eyes  of  all  the  house  of  Israel  in  all  their  journeys. 

This  chapter  contains  the  setting  up  of  the  tabernacle,  in- 
cluding the  commencement  of  the  prescribed  services  ;  and  the 
manifestation  of  the  divine  presence  and  grace  in  the  sanctuary. 

V.  1-1 G.  The  command  is  issued  for  the  rearing  of  the 
tabernacle,  and  the  anointing  of  it  and  all  its  vessels  and 
ministers,  v.  9-15.  This  anointing  is  to  signify  the  hallowing 
or  setting  of  them  apart  to  a  holy  use.  Everything  here  has 
been  tainted  with  the  presence  of  sin.  The  sinner  must  be 
sanctified  in  order  to  be  received  again  into  the  fellowship  of 
his  maker.  The  great  agent  of  sanctification  is  the  Holy 
Si>irit.  His  purifying  work  is  here  typified  by  the  anointing 
with  oil. 

V.  17-22.  We  have  then  an  orderly  detail  of  the  execution 
of  the  first  part  of  this  command,  v.  17-19.  The  date  of  the 
rearing  of  the  tabernacle  is  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  of 
the  second  year  (see  on  xxxiv.  28).  v.  20,  21.  After  the 
rearing  of  the  tabernacle,  the  testimony,  that  is,  the  two  tables 
of  stone  with  the  ten  commandments  engraven  on  them,  is 
placed  in  the  ark,  and  the  ark  with  the  mercy-seat  in  the 
most  holy  place,  v.  22,  23.  The  table  is  placed  on  tlie  north 
side  of  the  holy  place  probably  at  the  middle  of  the  wall. 
The  shew  bread  is  set  in  order  upon  it.  v.  24,  25.  The 
candlestick  occupies  the  corresponding  place  on  the  sout^  side. 


360  THE  TABERNACLE  SET  UP. 

Its  lamps  are  set  on.  v.  26,  27.  The  altar  of  gold  is  placed 
before  the  vail  at  the  middle  points.  The  incense  is  kindled 
upon  it.  V.  28,  29.  The  altar  of  brass  in  the  middle  between 
the  two  sides,  say  twenty-five  feet  from  the  gate  of  the  court. 
The  burnt-offering  and  the  meat-offering  are  offered  upon  it. 
V.  30-32.  The  laver  we  may  suppose  to  be  twenty-five  feet 
from  the  altar,  and  from  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  8hall 
wash,  will  have  washed  whenever  they  proceed  to  the  altar 
or  the  sanctuary,  v,  32.  Wash.  This  expresses  the  rule  and 
custom  of  those  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  tabernacle,  v. 
33.  The  whole  is  completed  by  the  erection  of  the  court.  We 
observe  in  the  rearing  up  of  the  tabernacle  that  every  part  of 
the  ritual  service  is  declared  to  be  commenced,  as  the  cor- 
responding part  of  the  furniture  is  put  in  its  place,  the  bread 
laid  on  the  table,  the  lighted  lamps  set  on  the  candlestick, 
the  incense  kindled  on  the  altar  of  gold,  and  the  appropriate 
offerings  made  on  the  altar  of  brass.  This  may  mean  either  that 
these  acts  were  done  on  the  instant  or  in  the  due  course  of  events. 
In  the  absence  of  any  reason  to  the  contrary  we  may  presume 
the  former  to  be  the  fact.  In  this  case  the  setting  up  of  the 
service  corresponds  with  the  history  of  salvation.  The  ark 
with  its  inclosed  testimony,  mercy-seat  and  overshadowing 
cherubim,  indicates  the  purpose  of  salvation  in  the  mind  of 
the  present  Deity.  The  bread,  the  light,  and  the  incense 
shadow  forth  the  actual  blessings  and  privileges  of  the  saved 
on  account  of  the  atonement  yet  to  be  made.  The  altar  of 
brass  and  the  laver  are  the  emblems  of  atonement  and 
renewal  eventually  accomplished  in  the  history  of  mankind. 
The  process  for  the  individual  is  now  reversed.  When  the 
burnt-offering  and  meat-offering  have  ascended  the  altar,  the 
atonement  has  been  typically  made  and  accepted.  When  the 
priest  cleanses  himself  at  the  laver  the  internal  holiness  is 
symbolised.  Then  follows  the  intercession  represented  by  the 
incense  on  the  golden  altar.  After  that  the  full  communion 
of  holiness  and  blessing.  And  lastly  the  union  with  God  is 
sealed  for  ever. 

V.  34-38.  Then  follows  an  event  of  solemn  import,  which 
is  best  expressed  in  the  sim])le  language  of  the  text.  Moses 
was  not  able.  In  the  first  overwhelming  display  of  the  divine 
glory,  the  tabernacle  was  not  to  be  approached  by  man.     The 


KXdDIS  XI,.  !jf;i 

after  proceedings,  however,  are  not  here  recorded.  We  have 
to  wait  for  them  till  we  reach  the  subsequent  books.  Thi.s 
manifestation  of  the  divine  glory  indicates  the  acceptance  of 
the  tabernacle  and  of  the  worship  that  is  now  commenced  in 
it.  V.  36.  When  ike  cJond  was  lifted  tip.  This  intiniat<!.s 
that  from  this  time  forward  the  cloud  continued  resting  on  the 
tabernacle.  The  lifting  of  it  u])  wjis  the  signal  of  departure. 
The  cloud  by  day  and  the  iire  by  night  wore  conspicuous  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  "  all  the  house  of  Israel  in  all  their  journeys." 
Young  and  old,  male  and  female,  the  numbered  and  marshalled 
host  and  the  wandering  clans  tending  their  flocks  and  herd.s, 
were  alike  spectators  of  this  wondrous  sign  ofHhe  divine  pre- 
sence, of  the  central  encampment  of  their  race,  and  of  their 
perfect  security  under  the  divine  protection.  With  this  beau- 
tiful thought  and  cheerino;  fact  the  sacred  writer  closes  his 
account  of  an  act  which  is  the  consummation  of  the  exodus. 
Some  circumstances  antecedent  to  the  rearing  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  many  inseparably  connected  with  it,  have  yet  to  be 
recorded.  But  the  fine  taste  of  the  narrator  taught  him  that 
the  descent  of  the  divine  glory  npon  the  erected  tabernacle 
was  the  fitting  conclusion  of  this  stage  of  his  unparalleled 
narrative. 

The  nations  of  the  earth  are  no  longer  visibly  one  on  the 
momentous  question  of  allegiance  to  God.  The  holy  nation 
has  publicly  come  out  from  the  world.  The  great  body  of 
mankind  has  become  gradually  more  and  more  estranged  from 
the  true  and  living  God.  Four  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago, 
Abraham  has  been  called  to  separate  himself  from  his  father's 
home  and  land  in  pre])aration  for  this  sad  event.  And  now, 
when  the  process  of  human  ungodliness  is  come  to  a  head,  a 
little  nation  sprung  from  him  stands  forth  as  a  witness  for 
God,  a  light  in  the  midst  of  darkness,  and  a  salt  that  is  yet  to 
preserve  the  earth.  This  little  people  is  itself  the  type  and 
germ  of  all  coming  stages  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
Cradled  in  persecution,  it  yet  escapes  to  the  wilderness,  and  is 
fed  with  manna  from  the  sky,  and  water  from  the  rock,  by  the 
omnipotent  word  of  God.  Its  conscience  is  awakened  by  the 
promulgation  of  the  moral  law,  and  then  led  from  the  (Uspair 
of  guilt  to  the  calmness  of  peace  with  Cxod  through  the  sym- 
bolic propitiation   of  the  tabernacle.      In  the  infancy  of  its 


362 


THE  TABERNACLE  SET  IIP. 


mind  it  is  wisely  and  kindly  trained  by  the  use  of  appropriate 
vsymbols  to  grasp  the  transcendent  thoughts  of  mercy  and 
truth,  of  I'ighteousness  and  peace,  of  atonement,  of  redemption 
and  regeneration.  The  roots  of  bitterness  again  and  again 
burst  through  the  soil  and  shoot  up  into  a  baneful  luxuriance. 
Nevertheless,  the  planting  of  the  Lord  has  taken  root,  and  has 
been  growing  and  gathering  strength  again  after  many  storms 
and  amidst  many  thorns  through  all  the  course  of  time.  If 
Genesis  tells  of  that  first  disobedience  that  brought  death  into 
the  world  of  mankind.  Exodus  speaks  with  cheering  hope  of 
that  suffering  but  surviving  obedience  that  brings  eternal  life 
to  the  returning  penitent.  These  two  books,  then,  contain 
the  pith  and  marrow  of  the  ancient  gospel ;  Leviticus  and 
Numbers  being  subsidiary,  and  Deuteronomy  a  recapitulation. 
From  the  death  of  Joseph,  the  last  event  in  Genesis,  to  the 
rearing  of  the  tabernacle,  is  an  interval  of  about  140  years, 
as  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  table  : — 


Interval. 

Age. 

Event. 

Death. 

30 

175 

2078 

2183 

CO 

180 

2108 

2288 

91 

147 

2168 

2315 

39 

110 

2259 

2369 

(71) 

2298 

(59) 

2369 

(80) 

2428 
2508 

Auraham  called,  to  Isaac's  birth, 
Isaac  born,  to  Jacob's  birth,  .  . 
Jacob  born,  to  Joseph's  birth,  . 
Joseph  born,  to  Jacob's  descent, 
Jacob's  descent  into  Egypt,  .     . 

Joseph's  death, 

Moses  born, 

Exodus, 


Date  of  call  of  Abraham, 
From  call  to  Exodus, 


2078 
430 


Date  of  Exodus, 


2508 


^ 


TlRNBri,!.  AMI  .SI'KARS    HKIXII-.RS,   Kl>INni!RCH. 


In  Demy  Sc.».,  I'rirr  KM  0,/. 

A  CRITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL 

COMMENTARY 

ON  TUK 

BOOK    OF    GENESIS, 

WITH   A  NEW  TRANSLATION, 


JAMES   G.   MURPHY,   LL.D.;    T.C.D. 

FR0FES30K   OF   HEBREW,    DKLFAST. 


"  This  Commnntary,  by  Hr  Murpliy,  is  one  of  the  most  vahiabh)  and  edifyinpf  con- 
tributions to  a  right  interpretation  of  Genesis  with  which  it  lias  heen  our  privih'fre  to 
meet.  Without  any  unnecessary  parade  of  learninfr,  it  is  r(])Ieto  with  tlio  rieliest 
Hebrew  scholarship ;  and  wo  can  unhesitatingly  assure  many  of  our  reaiU-r-s  that  they 
will  tind  it  a  work  of  most  massive  scholarship,  abounding  in  rich  and  noble  thought, 
and  remarkably  fresh  ami  sugt:estivo."—Kvan</elicaLU(if/(iziue. 

"We  congratulate  the  Church  on  the  appearance  of  this  volume.  It  is  one  more 
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tiisk.  We  thank  Dr.  Murphy  for  his  book.  We  commend  it  cordially;  and  we  trust 
he  may  see  it  his  duty  to  proceed,  and  bo  spared  to  give  us  the  well-digested  results  of 
sound  criticism,  at  least  on  the  Pentateuch." — /■Jraiif/tlical  Witness. 

"  On  the  whole,  llr.  Muiphy  has  conferred  a  great  service  on  a  difficult  department 
of  Scriptural  learning,  and  wo  tender  him  our  best  thanks." — Chrical  Journal. 

"After  an  attentive  perusal  of  the  volume,  we  aro  free  to  say  that  Dr.  Murphy  has 
executed  it  in  a  highly  creditiible  manner.  We  regard  this  Critical  Exposition  as 
occupying  a  high  place  in  sacred  literature — as  furnishing  much  aid  to  the  careful 
student  of  the  sacred  originals— and  as  sujiplying  a  powerful  refutation  tt)  the  soi)his- 
tical  reasonings,  unsupported  theories,  and  absurd  speculations  of  Bishop  Colenso, 
Dr.  Davidson,  and  numerous  rationalist  critics  of  Germany  and  other  countries." — 
Covenanter. 

"Dr  Murphy  is  already  well  known  as  a  man  of  much  leaniing  and  piety;  and  this 
volume  will  largely  increase  the  high  estimation  in  which  his  liiblical  scholarship  and 
critical  acumen  are  so  deservedly  held,  while  it  will  commend  his  name  as  a  !>o'jnd 
expositor  of  Scripture  to  a  wide  circle  of  readers  in  England  and  Scotland.'" — Monthly 
Messenger. 

"  This  is  emphatically  a  great  work.  The  subject  is  great,  ami  so  is  the  execution. 
It  bears  a  considerable  resemblance  to  our  German  authorship;  there  is  the  same 
minuteness,  fulness,  erudition,  and  elaboration.  It  is  exhaustive  of  tiie  Cireat  Hook  on 
whtch  it  rests,  and  is  to  bo  viewed  as  every  way  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  our 
biblical  literaturii.'"—f '///•('«//««  Witness. 

"  Dr  Murphy  now  adds  to  these  the  most  thorough,  satisfactory,  and  exhaustive 
commentary  upon  the  book  of  Genesis  that  has  yet  been  written  in  the  English 
t<.)ngue."—  Dr  Thompson,  Xcw  York. 

"To  our  view  this  is  one  of  the  best  commentaries  on  any  book  of  Scripture  to  be 
found  in  the  English  language.  Wo  speak  of  it  as  a  whole;  at  once  of  its  methods, 
and  of  what  it  actually  does.  The  thoughts  flow  fresh  from  the  fountJiin-head  of  an 
original  and  independent  thinker.  This  work  of  Dr  Murphy's  is  one  of  high  scientific 
value,  as  well  as  of  unqnestionable  scholarly  ability  and  Uiste." — Witness. 

"Dr  Murphy  has  produced  a  work  of  very  great  value,  full  of  strong,  suggestive 
thought,  of  clear,  [lenetrating  criticism,  and  of  ripe  and  able  scholarship. ' — J'<itri<il. 

"  We  cordially  commend  this  work  to  our  readeiti,  as  the  fruit  of  ripe  scholar.-kip 
and  independent  thought  This  commentiry  is  alike  valuable  for  what  it  suggests, 
and  for  the  light  reflected  on  the  modes  of  Hebrew  thought  and  diction.  Such  candid, 
scholarly  exposition  furnishes  the  l>est  reply  to  the  hypcrcriticism  of  modern  sceptirs. ' 
— Daily  lietnetii. 

T.  v(L  T.  ri.AHK.  GEORCtE  STREET,  EDINBURGH. 


In  Demy  8vo.,  Price  10s.  Gd., 

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veteran  in  this  field,  and  this  volume  is  the  ablest,  and  is  likely  to  be  the  most  useful 
of  his  works."     British  Qum^terly  Review. 

"  There  is  not  a  work  more  seasonable,  not  one  more  likely  to  be  productive  of  the 
best  effects,  not  one  more  entitled  to  the  study  and  solemn  consideration  of  Christian 
people." —  Christian  Witness. 


In  Demy  8vo.,  Price  10s.  6d. 

THE   EARLY   SCOTTISH   CHURCH: 

THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY  OF  SCOTLAND  FROM  THE  FIRST 
TO  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  TWELFTH  CENTURY. 

BY  THOMAS  M'LAUCHLAN,  LL.D.,   F.S.A.S. 

"  The  author  has  given  it  an  air  of  thoroughness  and  originality,  wJiich  will  justify 
its  claim  to  a  pennaneut  place  in  literature.  We  do  not  now  undertake  to  analyse  the 
work,  but  Ave  are  able  to  bear  witness  to  its  genuine  character." — Journal  of  Sacred 
Literature. 

"  To  those  who  delight  to  trace  in  the  distant  past,  the  germs  of  the  present,  '  The 
Early  Scottish  Chui'ch '  will  afford  gratification  and  instruction." — Reader. 


In  Two  Volumes,  Demy  8vo.,  Price  21s. 

A  HISTORY  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE. 

BY  WILLIAM   G.  SHEDD,  D.D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY,  UNION  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK. 

•'  The  high  reputation  of  Dr.  Shedd  will  be  increased  by  this  remarkable  work. 
The  style  is  lucid  and  penetrating.  No  one  can  master  these  volumes  without  being 
quickened  and  strengthened." — American  Theological  Revieio. 

T.  &  T.  CLARK,  38  GEORGE  STREET,  EDINBURGH. 


DATE  DUE 


HIGHSMITH  #45230 


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